


Fledgling

by Bbun



Series: The Hawk Swoop Chronicles [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:06:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 33,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1606250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbun/pseuds/Bbun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a moon, there was a cat named Hawk Swoop. Although best remembered for being Thunder's foster mother, did you know Hawk Swoop accomplished a lot more in her short life? Alas, these stories are rarely told to kits, as Hawk Swoop is not a Clan founder. Only now are they unveiled for the sake of others', including yours, thirst of knowledge.</p><p>~~~~</p><p>This story is part of a multi-part semi-AU chronicling the life of Hawk Swoop. This story in particular details her younger days - and gives a preview of her older self, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Fic starts off with the allegiances! The reason why the two groups have their TFB allegiances is because it makes it far more easier for me to keep track of. Also, these pretty much show 90% of all of the characters in the fic. It will be updated occasionally.

Cats of the Mountains:

Tribe Healer:  
Teller of the Pointed Stones (Stoneteller) - white she-cat with green eyes, also known as Half Moon

"Sharpclaws:" (those twelve moons and up who hunt and guard the Tribe)

Snow Hare - white she-cat with orange eyes, nearly deaf with age (mother of Shaded Moss and Cloud Spots, later on has Broken Feather's kits; Falling Feather, a white she-cat with blue eyes, and Jackdaw's Cry, a white tom with blue eyes

Stone Song - gray tabby tom with amber eyes (adoptive father of Rainswept Flower, Twisted Branch, and Bright Stream)

Silver Frost - gray-and-white patched she-cat with green eyes 

Blown Sand - pale ginger tom with yellow eyes (Hawk Swoop's father)

Dusk Shadow - black-and-white she-cat with amber eyes (Tall Shadow's and Moon Shadow's mother)

Fern Clump - dark tortoiseshell she-cat with white markings and amber eyes (Turtle Tail's, Dappled Pelt's, and Dewy Leaf's mother)

Cloud Spots - black-and-white tom with blue eyes

Shaded Moss - black-and-white tom with green eyes (father of Tall Shadow, Moon Shadow, Twisted Branch, Rainswept Flower, and Bright Stream)

"Softpaws:" (those between six and twelve moons who learn the ways of the Tribe)

Tall Shadow - black she-cat with green eyes

Moon Shadow - black tom with white paws and blue eyes

Turtle Tail - black-and-white based tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes and a distinctive stumpy tail

Dewy Leaf - smoke tortoiseshell she-cat with copper eyes

Dappled Pelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes and a white chest

Shattered Ice - gray-and-white tom with green eyes (brother to Quick Water)

Queens and their Kits: (she-cats raising their young)

Quiet Rain - speckled gray she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Sharp Hail's kits; Gray Wing, dark gray tom with golden eyes, and Clear Sky, pale gray tom with blue eyes. Later has Fluttering Bird, a brown she-kit with orange eyes and faint stripes, and Jagged Peak, gray tabby tom with blue eyes.)

Hollow Tree - huge long-haired dark brown-and-white tabby she-cat with green eyes(mother of Stone Song's and Shaded Moss's kits; Rainswept Flower, brown tabby she-kit with blue eyes, Bright Stream, brown-and-white tabby she-kit with green eyes, and Twisted Branch, brown tom with amber eyes and faint stripes)

Rose Flower - pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes (mother of Blown Sand's kit; Hawk Swoop, a ginger classic tabby she-kit with amber eyes. )

Misty Water - ragged gray she-cat with blue eyes; nearly blind with age (Mother of Shattered Ice, and later has several kits and Quick Water, a dark gray-and-white she-cat with copper eyes)

Elders:

Fish Leap  - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Dove's Wing - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Lapping Wave - ragged blue-gray tom with green eyes

Lion's Roar - golden tabby tom with yellow eyes

Broken Feather - ragged black tom with orange eyes

Sharp Hail - dark gray tom with blue eyes

 

Cats of the Stars Above; (deceased cats)

Jay's Wing - gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Twig Leaf - brown tabby tom-kit

Bird's Feather - white she-kit

Dying Fire - ginger tabby tom-kit

Muddy Cliff - brown-and-white she-kit

Waning Moon - black tom

Avocet's Flight - black-and-white she-kit

Apple Bloom - cream-colored tom

Shelly - very pale brown tabby-and-white she-cat with blue eyes and thick, long fur


	2. Prologue

Hawk Swoop could see the crimson-stained ground of the area surrounding the four great oaks. The ginger she-cat could see swarms of cats - brother on sister, friend on friend - fighting for their lives. That savage tomcat - Clear Sky - did this; he invited Gray Wing and Tall Shadow for a meeting, only to launch a surprise attack on them due to several disagreements. Thunder hurriedly told the moorland cats about the ongoing, and Hawk Swoop, able-bodied and all, happily agreed to come. She lead the cats toward the four oaks, along with her son, Lightning Tail.

“Now, I want you all not to pad off - if you do, who knows what would happen,” Hawk Swoop warned the cats behind her. Peering around, she identified Shattered Ice, Frost, and her daughter, Acorn Fur. Lightning Tail had Dappled Pelt, Rainswept Flower, and in the far back, Thunder.

“Since when did you change your name to Gray Wing? Or Tall Shadow? They should lead us, not you!” Frost complained, clearly showing that he wasn’t used to taking orders from her.

“Excuse me? I’m leading you to the battle. Gray Wing and Tall Shadow aren’t here right now; they’re in there, fighting for not just their lives, but for their camp mates! If you were in their position, wouldn’t you do the same?” Hawk Swoop replied, frowning. “I sure would!”

“So would I!” replied Acorn Fur in her high-pitched voice.

Frost hesitated for several moments before he went behind Acorn Fur, embarrassed that Hawk Swoop had beaten him in their little argument.

“Say, Hawk Swoop, are we there yet?” Shattered Ice inquired. “I’m getting bored.”

“Not yet, Shattered Ice,” Hawk Swoop was already beginning to sound irritated. What is with these toms? Just because they feel like they can boss others around just because they’re tomcats isn’t a good reason to think that way.

A few moments later, Hawk Swoop reached the slope, and quickly made it to its top. She watched as Lightning Tail’s cats caught up, and Thunder too, who weaved between her and the black tom. _I wonder why he looks so panicked. Poor thing._ she thought to herself in dismay. Just then, Thunder froze in place. Curious, Hawk Swoop slunk down behind him, and saw a familiar face.

_Clear Sky! That savage monster!_

From what she could tell, as Thunder argued with him, Clear Sky had a group of cats behind him - some new faces, and others like Quick Water, who used to be Hawk Swoop’s closest friend. Hawk Swoop couldn’t hear much from the distance she was at, but from what she did, it was obvious that Clear Sky didn’t give one damn about the wellbeing of either group.

Thunder glanced at her and the others. “Ready?” he asked in a confident tone.

Hawk Swoop could only meet his eyes in a grim manner, and then asked, “How many cats does Clear Sky have?” I just hope that he doesn’t have too many.

“More than us,” Thunder replied, and Hawk Swoop could tell that he was just as uncertain as herself. Uninterested in the discussion, Hawk Swoop turned away from the other cats. However, a certain word was caught in her ear, uttered by Thunder;

“Attack!”

Hawk Swoop leapt down the slope, and gracefully landed on a patch of ferns. Thunder looked to have misjudged it, and ended up crashing into it instead of landing. Already was the ginger she-cat ready to fight for herself and for the lives of other cats.

Rushing forward, her amber eyes looked about as she heard the loud screeches and calls of cats in the battle. Noticing one - a pale tabby named Dawn, one of Clear Sky’s cats - was clearly in agonizing pain, the ginger she-cat rushed for her. Hawk Swoop couldn’t bear to see any cat suffer in such torture - not after what she had been through. A familiar face popped in, and darted in front of Hawk Swoop, giving a defensive stance.

“Quick Water!” Hawk Swoop easily recognized the gray-and-white she-cat by her curly, long fur and her pointed muzzle. “What are yo-”

“You’re trying to kill her!” Quick Water accused, glaring at the ginger tabby. “Can’t you see how much pain she’s going through? Thunder attacked her, and look what he did!”

Hawk Swoop did not respond, but merely looked at the pale gray she-cat. Blood was trickling out in tiny portions from several wounds on her body. It was clear that without any attention, she would be buzzardfood.

“I’ll go get some cobwebs, at the very least. Even if she does die, I want to help her in some way,” she finally replied, and ran for the edge of the bottom of the big rock in the center. Dappled Pelt once told her that cobwebs were abundant there, so common that there would be more in three sunrises if one were to pick some.

Along the way, Hawk Swoop spotted more fighting cats, and already did she find one dead. Tall Shadow had slit open Fircone’s belly, and he fell still after letting out a shriek. Blood was already flowing from the slices the black she-cat had made on the tortoiseshell cat. _Do we have to fight? Is there any good reason to do so? Just because we live differently doesn’t mean that we can’t get along._

The cobweb area was uncovered, and Hawk Swoop happily grabbed the medical supply with her jaws. As she headed back, she was already getting exhausted by the amount of time she had to run from one part to the other. She heard earsplitting screeches from Heather and Leech, two other rogues in Clear Sky’s group who were being attacked by Acorn Fur and Thunder. _They can deal with them. I know they can._ Hawk Swoop assured herself. _They’re my kits, after all._

When she came back to Dawn and Quick Water, the former didn’t appear to be dead. Dropping the cobwebs in front of the pale gray tabby, Hawk Swoop then grabbed one of them with her jaws, and placed it onto Dawn’s body. She repeated the process, gently placing each cobweb onto any wound she could find, until all of the ones noticeable were covered. Although she heard another screech in the background, she ignored it.

“This should do the trick,” Hawk Swoop declared proudly. “Cloud Spots always told me how cobwebs are so strong, they can withstand anything. They’re also used to cover up wounds, too.”

“Thanks, Hawk Swoop,” Dawn mumbled softly. “I-I didn’t think I could make it, but then you came….” The she-cat let out a purr in approval, and lay down.

“It’s a good idea to lie down. The cobwebs do get off somewhat easily, so be careful. They do stop bleeding wounds quickly, though, so it’s worth it!” Hawk Swoop told the smaller she-cat.

The ginger tabby noticed that Quick Water’s face no longer bore anger, but was instead showing her gratitude. Her ears were no longer flattened, and her posture was no longer defensive.

“Thank you. No, really,” Quick Water began. “I thought at first that when Clear Sky told us to prepare for the battle, that you became a savage rogue, like all of the others,” Hawk Swoop gave a stare, but Quick Water acknowledged it, and went on. “But after seeing what you just did, I don’t think that way any more. Some cats may be bad, but not all of them are. Even then, they aren’t completely good, either. I apologize for accusing you of planning to kill Dawn. I should’ve known better.”

“It’s okay. Sometimes, emotions get in the way of our rational thinking, so I can understand why you acted like that - even if it was harsh. Are you still going to stay with Clear Sky?” Hawk Swoop asked She recalled being wary towards strangers; she reflected on how she treated Thunder at first, but slowly warmed up to him.

“I have to. I would have left along with Falling Feather, but Clear Sky wouldn’t just rip off the ends of our ears. He would kill us, just like Misty,” Quick Water lamented, “so I have to stay with him for the time being. Maybe when his group gets bigger, I’ll sneak out, and it’ll be so big that he won’t notice that I’ve left.”

“Good plan. I like it. Care to bring the kits along, too?” Hawk Swoop chuckled. “Maybe they can receive better treatment on the moor.”

“Nope. They like Petal, and honestly, she’s an excellent mother, and a cat in general. She’s not too soft, and she defends her turf when she needs to. I know why she acts so protective, anyways, so it’s not like that she’s doing it out of pure mali-”

Quick Water was interrupted as a short-furred white tom entered the area, his blue eyes filled with burning hatred. Hawk Swoop easily recognized him as Frost; the cat who was turned away and shunned by Clear Sky for the burn on his leg. He had developed a personal vendetta from the time he had been banished, and now despised the pale gray tom. That included his cats, too - even Quick Water and Dawn.

“Hawk Swoop! What are you doing?” Frost demanded sharply. “Can’t you see that you’re assisting our enemies? Why aren’t you killing that weak she-cat?”

“I’m not we-” Dawn attempted to retort, but let out a cough.

“Bug off, fleapelt,” Quick Water spat. “Or you’ll end up like poor Fircone back there.”

“Never,” Frost hissed, lashing his fluffy white tail. “I won’t let another one of my group mates go to Clear Sky! Not again!”

“What?” Hawk Swoop questioned, twitching an ear. “I’m not going to Clear Sky - he is an irredeemable piece of scum! I’m just helping Quick Water’s friend.”

“They aren’t your friends now. Traitor!” Frost accused, flattening his ears.

He let out a hiss before he leaped toward Quick Water, and struck a blow at one of her shoulders. The long-furred gray-and-white cat let out a hiss as she lashed out at him, slicing at an ear. Hawk Swoop was worn out from the running she had done earlier to find cobwebs, so all she could do for now was watch Quick Water be killed by Frost.

Several moments passed by, each one seeming longer than the last. Another agonized screech was let out, and Hawk Swoop could barely see the limp body of Heather. That didn’t take long.

Hawk Swoop turned back to the fight of Quick Water and Frost - and it wasn’t looking pleasant at all. Quick Water had managed to land a mark on the leg of Frost that was burnt, but he managed several successful blows on her, and she was panting. The big white tom was now circling the wounded she-cat, baring his yellowed teeth. Hawk Swoop knew that he was planning to finish her off with a killing bite.

Frost finally made his move, jumping toward Quick Water. He bared his teeth viciously, intending to go for her neck. Suddenly Hawk Swoop found an energy inside her, and felt that she could do something to protect her old friend. This could be the last time they would see each other, but Hawk Swoop took that risk. She would do anything for Quick Water - even if it would cost her life.

“Get away from her!” Hawk Swoop pushed Quick Water onto the side, and Frost ended up biting her belly. The she-cat swiped a paw onto his muzzle, and he backed off, hissing. The white tom then struck another blow at her throat, and blood started throbbing from where he sliced. Dawn looked up, and was horrified to see what was going on. The she-cat fled from the battle, not looking back.

Quick Water gave a loud hiss to Frost. “You monster!” she hissed. “Look what you did to her! She’s your camp mate. What would Tall Shadow think of this? Or Gray Wing?”  
“It was only in self-defense,” he sneered, glancing down at Hawk Swoop’s body. “Now it’s your problem to deal with. Good luck.” He fled the area, and Quick Water watched him race away to the other side of the four trees. The wounded leg of his was lagging behind, although not by much compared to his other legs.

Hawk Swoop glanced up from where she lay, blood still flowing from her wound. “Q-Quick Water?” she called weakly. “Can you come over here?”

“Sure,” Quick Water hurried over to Hawk Swoop, settling beside her. “What do you want to tell me?”

“I-I’d like to say that you were the greatest friend one could ask for. No, you are more than my best friend. You were there for me when there was nothing else; when my mother and father shunned me for liking toms and she-cats, when we were on the journey, when I confessed to being Jackdaw’s Cry’s mate, when I had his kits, everything. Even when you were there, I could tell that you were out in Clear Sky’s camp, thinking about me. I appreciate t-that. No other cats on the moor but my mate and kits even think about me much , let alone care for me inside,” Hawk Swoop purred weakly, and Quick Water nuzzled her cheek in affection.

After a pained scream from Frost was let out - presumably as he had died, Hawk Swoop went on. “Tell Lightning Tail, Thunder, Acorn Fur, and Jackdaw’s Cry that I will miss them. They gave me comfort, and I loved them in ways words can not describe. But, I also love you. You didn’t just calm me down when I was, w-well, down. You gave me the respect that I craved. Even after you left for Clear Sky, we still managed to see each other at night. I love you as much as my kits and mate. I feel as if...as if we were meant to be together.”

Quick Water let out several more purrs as she licked the bleeding spot. Hawk Swoop could tell that she knew that it was no use, that she was going to die. The gray-and-white she-cat let out a mournful wail before continuing licking her friend’s splotchy-striped ginger fur.

“I’m so sorry,” Quick Water expressed. “I should’ve done something to help you.”

“It’s o-okay. Frost attacked you, and you couldn’t do anything. It’s not your fault,” Hawk Swoop assured her. “If anything, it’s his for attacking us, but that’s for another time - well, I don’t know if there’s ever going to be ‘another time’ for us. I hope we can meet up again one day, though. That…that would be nice.”

Hawk Swoop then went still, her belly no longer moving. The blood still flowed from the wound, although at a slower speed. Quick Water let out a shriek as she noticed that her friend didn’t say anything else. Terrified, the she-cat vigorously shook Hawk Swoop’s body back-and-forth with her jaws on her scruff, but it merely closed her eyes.

“H-Hawk Swoop?” Quick Water whispered. “Hawk Swoop? Are you okay?”

The she-cat didn’t respond; Hawk Swoop’s consciousness was replaced with dizzying emptiness long before Quick Water even touched her, so she couldn’t have responded.

“It’s okay,” Quick Water purred, looking down at Hawk Swoop’s body. “I’m here. No need to worry…old friend….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, this couple will become FAR more important as the story goes. For now, we begin with the childhood of Hawk Swoop with Chapter 2.
> 
> [NOTE; EDITED to fix a mistake made, as well as several editing suggestions]


	3. Chapter 1

“Do yo...th...she...hear us?”

“I don’t kno...Rose Flow….Hawk Swo…is just a kit. A half-moon old one at th….It takes ki…some time to get used to hearin...things.”

A tiny orange tabby she-kit was curled up next to her mother, waking up from her nap. She blindly looked for her mother’s belly  cats her age could barely see, or not at all at this point. The she-kit couldn’t understand all these new noises entering her ears - it had been that way for the past sunrise or two. All that she had known was the warmth of her mother’s belly, suckling one of her teats for milk alone. She didn’t even know what words were at this point. Still looking, the she-cat flailed her paws, and let out a high-pitched squeal. Her tiny eyes, closed shut, fluttered open, and a whole new world was there in front of her eyes.

“Oh, loo….She’s opened her eyes! Blue, of cours….” said one voice. The tiny kit traced it to a huge pale thing, with a huge round thing below her circular stuff.

“Right. A kit’s eyes are often blu….No surprise that Hawk Swoop has them for now,” commented another voice. This time, the kit found the voice to be coming from a fluffy thing, with a huge round thing, too. The kit, confused at the many voices and colors and everything else coming to her, let out another high-pitched squeal.

“Don’t worry, dear. Mommy’s just sitting here,” the first voice comforted, licking the she-kit.

Mommy? Dear? These words seemed foreign to the she-kit, and she looked up at the pale thing, eyes wide.

“That’s right. I’m your mommy. Your name is Hawk Swoop,” the thing added. “You are a cat. Cat. Go on, try to say it. You’re still just a kit, after all.”

“He-ho-hahhhwk swoooooop. Hahk Swooop,” the she-kit tried to repeat her mother’s words. “Keh-ku-kaht. Kaaahhhht.”

“She’s a quick learner, Rose,” the older thing purred to the pale thing. “I’d bet she’ll do better than Cloud Spots and Shaded Moss.”

“Shah-shayyyydu-dehd mo-me-mawhhsss,” Hawk Swoop tried to repeat. The she-kit fluffed up her short, downy fur.

“Not surprised, Misty Water. Your kits aren’t that bad. I mean, Quiet Rain learned how to pronounce “immaculate” correctly at just three moons old. Shaded Moss and Cloud Spots weren’t just as quick learners as her.”

“Ih-ah-mekk-muukk-mahku lihh…” Hawk Swoop tried to pronounce the new word correctly, but didn’t get it. Again did she let out another squeal, this one of disappointment.

“It’s okay, little snow bunny. You’ll learn how to say it correctly eventually,” Rose Flower assured her. Her pale ginger long thing twitched.

Hawk Swoop looked up at her mother, doing a thing to her face - her mouth went in a down direction.

“You know what? I’ll show you to the other cats. Maybe they can teach you some more words,” Rose Flower suggested. Hawk Swoop gave a squeal of approval.

Rose Flower grabbed Hawk Swoop with her jaws, and carried her out of the nursery hollow. The ginger she-kit flailed her paws about, clearly not used to being in the air.

This place seemed much different than what Hawk Swoop saw before. A long blue thing moved down in one part of the area. A few large holes with bright things poking through were near the blue thing. There was even a huge gray thing where a thin white shape was, one that looked similar to Mommy. No, there wasn’t just the white shape, but a gray one, and a black one, a white one, one orange, and even one that had all three colors! Hawk Swoop gave a stare of amazement as she looked about. Rose Flower dropped her gently onto the hard wide thing, and the kit continued to look around.

“Ooh! Waht’s taht?” Hawk Swoop looked at a dark thing with black, white and orange. Her long thing was not long; instead, it was short, just like hers, but only...bigger.

The thing gave her a unruly look, then replied,“Oh, Rose Flower! Is this Hawk Swoop?”

“Yes, Turtle Tail, that’s Hawk Swoop,” Rose Flower replied. “Hawk Swoop, this is Turtle Tail. She’s a newly made softpaw, and Fern Clump is her mother.”

“Tah-teh-turda-dil tah-tayl, Fah-for-furhn cla-clo-cluhmp.” The she-kit tried to pronounce more new names.

“Wow!” said another thing. Hawk Swoop looked at a small dark gray thing. He was thinner than the other thing, and had fur as short as hers. “Clear Sky, you got to check this out.”

“Coming!” Another shape popped out, along with a huge gray thing with dark dots, with a round thing above her round stuff like Mommy’s. “Quiet Rain, who’s that?” the small thing asked the bigger thing.

“That’s Hawk Swoop, Clear Sky,” she answered. “Rose Flower had her a half-moon ago. Isn’t she a darling?”

“Deh-do-dahlihn,”

“She can’t even pronounce the word right! What a lo-”

“Clear Sky,” Quiet Rain gave a sharp tap on the nose to her son, “some cats don’t learn the same way you do. Remember, despite being from the same litter as Cloud Spots and Shaded Moss, I learned how to pronounce imma-”

“Go away, mummy,” the kit interrupted his mother. Furious, the she-cat chased after Clear Sky, while Gray Wing begin to let out mews of laughter. Hawk Swoop couldn’t help but do so, too. It felt, well, something to watch Clear Sky get chased by his mother

“You should start teaching her about other things, Rose,” grumbled a huge thing. Hawk Swoop found the source to be a pale thing, like her Mommy. Only its long thing was very long, and its long markings weren’t thin, but rather splotchy and thick.

“Good idea, Blown Sand,” replied Rose Flower. “Oh, Hawk Swoop, before I teach you of the rocks and rivers and mountain, I’d like to introduce you to your father. His name is Blown Sand, as if you couldn’t already tell.”

“Feh-fahthah.”

“Okay. We’ll be moving on to other things now, little snow bunny.”

“Okie!”

Rose Flower padded over to a huge thing, with smaller things inside of it. They weren’t like Mommy, or Blown Sand, but they had long things, too.

“This thing is called a prey heap.”

“Pru-preh ha-heahp.”

“Good,” Rose Flower grabbed one of the brown things with her mouth. Its eyes were closed firmly shut. “This is a mouse. We eat mice.”

“Mow-meh-maowsh.”

“Good enough, for now.”

Hawk Swoop let out a happy squeal in response.

This time, Rose Flower put down the mouse, and went for another thing. This one had very long pointy things on its round shape, unlike Mommy, who had short ones.

“This is a snow hare. The brown ones of it are called rabbits. Their offspring are known as bunnies. You know, whenever I call you a snow bunny, it means that you’re still a small kit, just like how baby snow hares are still small bunnies.” she explained.

“Snah-sne-snowgh he-haire, rib-rob-rahbits. Bo-beh-buhnehs!” The she-kit squealed in excitement upon uttering the last one. She was learning so many things! Words! Everything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hawk Swoop returned to the cave - she now knew the word of it - with her mother. The pale ginger tabby carried the ginger she-kit in her jaws, and she didn't flail about this time. Hawk Swoop knew that her Mommy was keeping her safe; Rose Flower wouldn't let her out of her sight.

“Mommy, can we learn more tomorrow?” asked the ginger she-kit. Her blue eyes were wide, as she tried to beg her mother.“Sure,” replied Rose Flower. Her amber eyes gave the sign of approval. Hawk Swoop nodded happily before she slept next to mother. What else would she learn next?


	4. Chapter 2

Hawk Swoop got up from her nest early, bounding away from the sleeping hollows, and away from Rose Flower. The she-kit had learned so much throughout the past two moons; the white cat she saw when she first went into the main cave was Stoneteller, the leader of the Tribe. The old scrawny cats were the elders, and the ones older than her but not quite sharpclaws were softpaws. Every cat else was a sharpclaw, who did all the hunting for the Tribe. Her Mommy was a queen, who raised their kits until it was time for them to become a sharpclaw

Once she reached the main part of the cave, she went to look about. The long blue thing was known to her as the waterfall; the little openings on the sides let to the outside, where she could see jagged peaks, a plateau near some rocks, and a valley. Hawk Swoop knew that many cats didn’t go out far from the cave; they worried that they would get caught by an eagle or a hawk, which were said to be strong enough to carry cats off - even if they were the major prey being caught. _Humph!_ thought Hawk Swoop bitterly. _If they can catch a hawk, I don’t see why they’d be afraid of one._

The ginger she-kit soon was disinterested of the waterfall; apart from its elegant flowing motion, it didn’t move from its place, or talk. Bored, Hawk Swoop headed for the prey heap. She was learning to get used to eating prey now, but still had her mother’s milk. After all, she wasn’t the age of Gray Wing and Clear Sky, who solely ate prey flesh now. Finding an appetizing shrew - Rose Flower told Hawk Swoop that Blown Sand caught this one - she began to feast on it, taking in mouthful after mouthful of the little rodent. The flavor felt bitter on her tongue, but she still found it savoury. Moments after she finished, a croaking, aged voice let out a call:

“May all cats who can move comfortably come for a meeting!”

Hawk Swoop padded a tail-length before she sat down, as she waited for the other cats to arrive. She noticed that Stoneteller was on the tall rock in the center. Lion’s Roar, Lapping Wave, and Broken Feather, three elders, walked over steadily to the rock, Lapping Wave shaking out his long blue-gray fur. They sat down - but Broken Feather accidentally stumbled over, and fell flat on his face; Hawk Swoop knew that he had some odd illness that made the dark brown tabby walk funny, but she still liked his stories, even if they were far-fetched.

Turtle Tail, Dewy Leaf, and Dappled Pelt, the three daughters of Fern Clump, as well as Tall Shadow and Moon Shadow, Dusk Shadow’s kits, circled the area before they sat down together in a line of four, as they were the four current softpaws. Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap, the two oldest elders in the Tribe, and the parents of Misty Water. Snow Hare, and Silver Frost, also sat down, but far more slowly than Lion’s Roar’s group.

Stone Song, a senior sharpclaw, also sat down; Hollow Tree was currently raising Rainswept Flower, Bright Stream, and Twisted Branch, who were born less than three moons ago, after mating with Shaded Moss. Stone Song was infertile, and since they wanted kits, Shaded Moss agreed to father them, so Hollow Tree couldn't afford to leave them behind. Any other cat who wasn't a kit or a nursing queen also joined, including Rose Flower and Blown Sand.

“As you all know,” Stoneteller began, “softpaws are sharpclaws to be. They learn the ways of hunting that allow us to survive in this terrain. Lately, I have been noticing that Tall Shadow and Moon Shadow have been demonstrating the confidence and-” Stoneteller paused, glaring at Moon Shadow, who happened to be badly-behaved, “-hopefully competent. Tall Shadow, Moon Shadow, please come up.”

The two black cats - they surely inherited their fur color from their mother - padded up toward the towering rock.

“Alright. Do you two promise to feed and assist your Tribe, even if it costs your life?” Stoneteller asked the two young cats sternly.

Tall Shadow immediately nodded, while Moon Shadow hesitated for a moment before doing so.

“For now on, you are sharpclaws of this Tribe. Cherish your Tribemates as if they were your kin, and hope that we will survive for countless more moons to come.”

“Tall Shadow! Moon Shadow!” the Tribe chanted. Cheerily, Hawk Swoop joined in the chant, while noticing that Moon Shadow appeared to be quite embarrassed, and left the group. However, he was stopped by Shaded Moss and Cloud Spots - the newest sharpclaws before Moon Shadow and his sister had joined their ranks. The two black-and-white toms rubbed their heads on Moon Shadow, and in response, he rubbed them back. They let out a few light-hearted chuckles as they went on their merry way.

“Come back! I am not done,” Stoneteller ordered, glaring down at Moon Shadow and the two other toms. They did as instructed, their tails drooping low. I hope I don’t end up like them. Hawk Swoop hoped. They don’t seem like a decent bunch at all. Maybe that’s why Stoneteller’s patience gets worn out sometimes.  
Hawk Swoop looked up from where Stoneteller was speaking, and didn't notice that her parents had moved to be right next to her.

“Silver Frost, Snow Hare, Stone Song,” As Stoneteller called each of their names, each cat padded up toward the rock that she was sitting on, “you have been working hard for countless moons, and you deserve your rest. As agreed, you are now elders of this Tribe. You are relieved of your duties, and can spend the rest of your moons in peace.”

The Tribe once again shouted the names of the newly named elders repeatedly, and Hawk Swoop joined in, of course. Blown Sand had told her that not doing so was a sign of disrespect to others, and she didn’t want to be considered a selfish kit.

“That is all for now. Soon, we will join in-” Stoneteller glanced down at Gray Wing, but stared at Clear Sky before looking back up, “-for the softpaw ceremony of Gray Wi-”

Stoneteller paused as the other Tribe cats’ gazes headed toward the base of the rock. Rose Flower prodded Hawk Swoop with her nose to look to that direction. The ginger she-kit did, and it led to Fish Leap, the oldest elder of them all.

The dark tabby elder was coughing and wheezing all over the place, prompting the cats around him to move away from him. Fish Leap’s legs were sprawled all about, occasionally moving in the opposite direction. His eyes were faded, their once bright amber sheen dulled into an empty, clouded gray. Hawk Swoop could clearly tell that there was something wrong with him. Several moments passed by. Now, the cats were swarming around Fish Leap, their eyes filled with curiosity. Even Stoneteller had leapt down to look at the scene. Hawk Swoop pushed past Shattered Ice - one of Misty Water’s kits - to get a better look at Fish Leap. By the time she reached him, though, he was still.

Dove’s Wing let out a loud wail as she pushed through the crowded cats, and buried her muzzle into her mate’s fur. The rest of the cats in the crowd looked down at Fish Leap with mournful eyes.

“Fish Leap?” Stoneteller asked as she padded over to the still brown tabby. “Are you alright?”

“He’s dead, Hal-I mean Stoneteller,” Dove’s Wing muttered. “The sickness finally got to him.”

 _Dead?_ thought Hawk Swoop. _But he didn't deserve to die! What did he do?_ Hawk Swoop was already taught the concept of death; how it happened to a cat, though, still felt like a mystery to her.

“I wonder why he died right now,” remarked Broken Feather, twitching his black tail. “I hope that doesn’t spread to Misty Water, and her kits. Only the stars knows what would happen to them.”

“Maybe it was for some special purpose? Death can be confusing sometimes. Remember the one time Shy Fawn died vomiting about despite not eating any poisoned prey?” Lapping Wave commented. Lion’s Roar gave him a furious glare - Shy Fawn was his mother, as well as Broken Feather’s, but he went on. “Well, it could’ve happened to Fish Leap, too.”

“It wasn’t that, though,” Dove’s Wing lamented. “He had been struck down with the coughing bouts for a while. It came to him after I had my kits - for some reason, he began coughing all of a sudden. Even after it seemed to go away, it always returned.”

“We should dispose of his body, to make sure that the disease doesn’t spread to my - well, our kits,” Shaded Moss suggested, twitching an ear. “I don’t want Rainswept Flower, Twisted Branch, or Bright Stream to get coughs and splayed out legs and th-”

“Which I can deal with,” Cloud Spots interrupted his brother. “My talent is using herbs to heal other cats; Stoneteller taught me. Dappled Pelt can also try to help - Stoneteller’s in the midst of training her, too. This is to make picking a future Stoneteller easier for her.”

“Right!” Dappled Pelt added in, trying to lighten up the situation. “If you have a problem, and if Cloud Spots isn't here, than I am here to help.”

“But what if the sickness spreads before you take out the body?” Gray Wing’s golden eyes were huge. “Won’t it catch on to other cats quickly?”

“Hush, you flea-brain. You clearly don’t know how a cat’s body works,” Clear Sky sneered at his brother. He puffed up his fluffy gray chest in pride. “You see, there’s the head, which has your face, your body, which has your tummy-tum-tum, your legs, which have the claws to kill things, and the behind, which has your p-”

“I don’t care! I don’t want anyone else to get sick! Not after Fish Leap!” Gray Wing whined. Quiet Rain merely gave a harsh tap to each of her kits’ noses.

Dove’s Wing continued to mourn at her mate’s body. Sharp Hail departed the area with Fern Clump, discussing quietly. Stone Song left with Shaded Moss to go hunt for the group. Every cat else soon lost interest in the event, and eventually left.

“Mommy, why did all the cats leave?” Hawk Swoop asked her mother. “Do they care about Fish Leap anymore? Will they remember him?”

Rose Flower hesitated for a few moments before she replied. “Well, you see, snow bunny, once a cat dies, they’re no longer with us. If they’re no longer with us, then soon, there will be more cats born after they’re gone. Those cats won’t know who that cat who died was. Eventually, as all the other cats who know that cat die, the new generation won’t know who he was at all. Unless we pass him on in our stories to our kits, we can’t do anything about this. I guess if you aren’t important in this world, you fade to merely nothing more than dust….”

Hawk Swoop frowned, upset that this would happen to Fish Leap. _But he did something! He’s one of the last cats to remember the lake! Way before me! He should be remembered!_ Hawk Swoop’s thoughts were racing in her mind. _You know what? If I ever have kits, I’ll tell them about Fish Leap! Then, they’d tell their kits about him, and he’d live on!_

Blown Sand looked down at Hawk Swoop, and she noticed his pale amber gaze. “Daddy, will I be forgotten one day?” she questioned, trying to sound hopeful.

“Well, dear...hopefully you won’t. I mean, some cats get forgotten, and some just stand out enough to survive for several generations. I hope you can become one of those cats.” he responded.

Hawk Swoop looked up at him before her ambery-blue - her eyes were beginning to settle to their permanent color now - gaze headed for the waterfall. _I’ll stand out from the rest! I don’t want to be forgotten! One day, countless numbers of cats will look up to me as the cat who did something important! Maybe they’ll remember me forever and ever!_ she thought to herself, confident that she could do those things. _You’ll just wait and see! Not just Mommy and Daddy, but everyone else! I can be something!_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hawk Swoop woke up beside her mother’s belly again the next morning. The event of Fish Leap’s death was still fresh in her mind. She could still remember the horrifying act; how he moved about as he struggled to his death, how much Dove’s Wing grieved for him, and how all the other cats seemed indifferent of his death.

Trying to get rid of the scene itself, Hawk Swoop went outside the sleeping hollows again, and into the cave. Fish Leap’s body had been buried the previous night by Silver Frost and Stone Song, so it wasn’t there anymore. Some of the queens and elders were wary of catching Fish Leap’s ailments, but the younger cats didn't seem to care at all. Shaded Moss and Dewy Leaf were letting out mrrows of laughter as Moon Shadow and Cloud Spots were doing jumps in the air, demonstrating their leaping abilities. Tall Shadow and Dappled Pelt were having an in-depth discussion about techniques to take down eagles as quickly as possible.

Interested, the ginger she-kit padded up to the older cats, her eyes filled with curiosity. Since these older cats had more experience from, well, being older, Hawk Swoop could only imagine what they knew.

The moment she neared them, Turtle Tail gave a neutral glance to Hawk Swoop. Tall Shadow and Dappled Pelt ended their discussion, staring at the kit. Even Shaded Moss and the other cats stopped doing their acts, and just looked at Hawk Swoop. Did I do something wrong?

“Uh...hi,” Hawk Swoop greeted the older cats shyly. She didn't know if they were welcoming her or showing their dislike for kits. “I’m just wondering if any of you have some interesting exp-”

“Go away,” Moon Shadow hissed, staring down at Hawk Swoop. The ginger she-kit let out a squeak as she stepped back. “We’re older cats. We don’t welcome kits into our group.”

“Moon Shadow, hush. It’s just a kit. What could go wrong telling her some stories?” Tall Shadow scolded her brother. “Besides, it looks like she’s shy of us. Why not we stop acting so wary of her and just accept her?”

“Tall Shadow’s right,” agreed Dewy Leaf. “We mustn't turn away the kit just because we’re not...used to her in our activities.”

“But she’s a kit, Dewy Leaf,” Moon Shadow retorted. Shaded Moss mocked his response to humor Cloud Spots, but Moon Shadow ignored it. “She can’t see what us sharpclaws and softpaws do.”

“Like what?” Turtle Tail snapped. “Mating with other she-cats?”

“Why would you say that? Hawk Swoop’s a kit; she’s not read-”

“A cat can always, uh, be ready to learn more about how we live, and, uh, how we make kits,” Dappled Pelt spoke up in a low voice, trying to make herself louder. “It’s a natural process. Most cats do it, but some - like Stone Song - are unable to have kits, so another tom has to volunteer to help bring the sterile tom and the fertile she-cat the kits they need.”

“I don’t get any of that.” Hawk Swoop leaned her head to one side, twitching her whiskers.

“Don’t worry,” assured Cloud Spots. “You’ll know it all some time.”

“Hawk Swoop!” called a loud, booming voice from the nursery. “Come over here! I need you.”

The ginger she-kit recognized the voice of Hollow Tree, the nursery queen who kitted some time before Rose Flower.

Answering her call, Hawk Swoop left the group of young sharpclaws and softpaws, and back to the sleeping hollows.


	5. Chapter 3

Once she got back in the sleeping hollows’ nursery, Hawk Swoop looked up at Hollow Tree. She was perhaps the largest cat in the entire Tribe - her large, stocky build and long, plumy, striped tabby fur gave her away. Oddly enough, while Twisted Branch and Bright Stream seemed to take after her, Rainswept Flower didn’t. The three kits were dozing off, and were on top of one another. Hawk Swoop wondered how they managed to sleep so soundly that way.

“Okay, now that you’re here, I’m going to tell you what I need you for.” Hollow Tree began, this time in a much lower voice. How did she not manage to wake up her kits? I’ll never know.

“What?” Hawk Swoop clearly didn’t have the patience of her mother.

“I’d like you to watch my kits. They’re about to become softpaws, and the moment I leave, I swear, they become like rowdy badger kits. Since you’re the quietest kit in here, I figured you could handle watching over these three - even if you’re the youngest kit.”

“B-but I’m young, miss Hollow Tree!” Hawk Swoop was several moons younger than Rainswept Flower or her siblings, and she knew that she had no chance of calming them down. Why her?

“Still, you’re the only kit I can rely on to watch over these three. Your mother, Quiet Rain, and I will be out hunting. Misty Water’s going to kit again soon - we don’t know how she’s expecting so soon, especially after having Shattered Ice. It’s been only five moons since he was kitted!”

“True,” Hawk Swoop conceded. “Okay. I’ll watch after them. But if they get row-”

“Then they’ll be punished. Simple. If they’re too rowdy for you to handle, I won’t put you in charge of them again, okay? They’re going to be softpaws soon, anyway.”

“Alright.”

Hawk Swoop watched as Hollow Tree left the area, her long, plumy fur swishing back-and-forth. She could see Quiet Rain joining her as well; her speckled gray fur easily gave her away.

Afterwards, Hawk Swoop spotted her mother, Rose Flower. She called out to her, but the pale ginger she-cat purposely ignored her. _Maybe she’s too busy to notice me._ Hawk Swoop thought sadly.

“My little snow bunny? What is wrong?” Rose Flower peeped in to see Hawk Swoop saddened, her tail drooping.

“You didn’t speak to me,” Hawk Swoop complained. “Why?”

“I’m busy, you see,” she reasoned. “I haven’t hunted ever since I had you! I love you so much that I gave up my duties just to care for you.”

Hawk Swoop understood what she meant, but Rose Flower interrupted her thoughts. “I didn’t intend for you to get upset.” the pale tabby added, frowning.

“I understand,” the ginger she-kit replied. She was pleased to see that her mother wasn’t try to emotionally harm her in any way. “You can go now.”

“Okay,” Rose Flower nodded cheerfully. “Remember, I’ll be back soon, okay? Stay safe.”

“Alright, mommy.”

Hawk Swoop watched as her mother left the area. From where she was sitting, she also noticed Stone Song, Sharp Hail, and Lapping Wave joining them as well. _Aren’t they all elders? I can understand Stone Song, since he’s Hollow Tree’s mate, but not the other two._ Hawk Swoop wondered.

Turning back to the other kits, Hawk Swoop noticed that they were still asleep. How did they manage to sleep so soundly?

Then, Rainswept Flower suddenly woke up. The brown tabby-and-white kit’s blue eyes were bright. “Let’s play!”

Almost immediately afterwards, Twisted Branch and Bright Stream got up, too. “I dare you to reach the other end of the waterfall!” Twisted Branch urged his sisters.

“But Twisted Branch!” Bright Stream pointed out in her high-pitched voice. Hawk Swoop felt as it was almost like a chirp. “We can’t go out! Momma told us not to, or we’ll get punished.”

“Oh yeah,” Twisted Branch recalled. “Well, you know, we weren’t sleeping the entire time.”

Hawk Swoop gave the brown tom a look of surprise. “You faked it?”

“Uh-huh. Momma never notices us, either. That’s how we drive her crazy at night.”

“But that’s not very nic-”

“Hawk Swoop, sometimes, bad things happen because we want them to happen,” Twisted Branch explained. “For example, we like bo-”

Rainswept Flower let out a bip to signify that she wished to be excused to speak. “We shouldn’t be doing those things. I usually try to shut you two up, anyway.”

“And? Isn’t Rainswept Flower right?” Bright Stream agreed. The brown-and-white tabby twitched her fluffy, plumy tail.

Hawk Swoop watched as the three kits eventually came to their conclusion. “Well sorted, you guys,” she complimented. “I don’t like it when cats fight, as y-you know.”

“I can tell,” Bright Stream replied. “You don’t like fighting at all, do you?”

“Nope.”

“But no matter how much you try to prevent fighting, it’s still going to happen, anyway,” Twisted Branch commented. “That’s an unpreventable thing to us cats. It’ll probably be our downfall.”

“Hush!” Hawk Swoop stared at the brown tom angrily. “That’s…n-not going to be the reason! If us cats are ever to go away, it’s not going to be due to battles, that’s for sure.”

“Hawk Swoop’s right. It’ll probably be due to hunger, or stuff like that.” Bright Stream nodded at the ginger she-kit, which made her “blush”. “The mountains aren’t the easiest place to live in. Sometimes, Lapping Wave tells me of the times when he was a kit, and he lived by a huge pile of water!”

“A lake!” Rainswept Flower corrected her sister. “Lapping Wave lived by a lake. So did Fish Leap, Dove’s Wing, and even Stoneteller! Lapping Wave told me that they voted to leave out of there.”

“Right. And the reason why we even have the Tribe is because some old cat from long ago got a message. I think his name was Ray’s Twinkle, or something.”

“His name was Jay’s Wing!” Hawk Swoop remembered the name after hearing Stoneteller utter it several times. He seemed to be close to her as a she-cat would be to her mate. “He told her to become Stoneteller in the first place.”

“Now I remember. Thank you, Hawk Swoop,” Bright Stream acknowledged Hawk Swoop’s input. “He did do that. And for some reason, one day, he...vanished.”

“V-v-vanished?” Hawk Swoop hadn’t heard of that word before. From the several times her mother taught her on word and sentence use, vanished wasn’t a word she was taught. Only a certain selection was told to her.

“Vanished. Like, he went poof. Lapping Wave told me that Half Moon was wailing all day and all night went he left.” Twisted Branch explained. “Just like another cat.”

“Oh yeah! Lion’s Roar’s father. He fell off a cliff. Dark Whiskers was his name, no?”

“Right, Bright Stream,” Rainswept Flower gave a quick twitch of her ears to her sister. “He told me. Before he was born, Dark Whiskers fell off a cliff, never to be seen again. Maybe that happened to Jay’s Wing?”

“Of course not!” Hawk Swoop claimed angrily. “While I might not know much about our history as you three do, Jay’s Wing vanished! He wouldn’t have fell off a cliff. I’m pretty sure Stoneteller saw him before he was gone, right?”

All three kits said the same thing, chiming in together: “Yeah.”

“I thought so,” Hawk Swoop realized what she had said, and drooped her whiskers. “I’m sorry if I was rude to any of you guys.”

“It’s fine,” Bright Stream assured her. Twisted Branch and Rainswept Flower did to. “You’re just doing your job. I’m okay with that, honestly.”

“Thank you,” Hawk Swoop twitched her tail. “And you know what? I like watching over you guys. Even if you’re older than me, you taught me a lot!”

“No problem,” Twisted Branch said smugly. Rainswept Flower just gave him a stare, while Bright Stream batted his head with her forepaw. The brown tom then complained, “What did I do?”

“Act like you were the only one to teach her, silly,” Bright Stream replied. She turned to Hawk Swoop, and delightfully added, “You see, our brother is a flea-brain. He always thinks that he gets all the credit.”

“Do not!” he denied.

Rainswept Flower pounced him, claws sheathed, and wrestled with him in a flurry of brown fur and legs. Bright Stream refrained from joining them; Hawk Swoop noticed that her white legs were trembling, and her fluffy tail was raised up, bristling.

“Guys! Stop!” Hawk Swoop interfered with the two older kits. She pulled them away from each other by pulling Twisted Branch’s tail. The tom let out a faint squeak as she made him let go on his sister’s splotchy tabby fur. He soon lost his grip, and let go of his sister’s short-furred pelt.

“That’s wasn’t okay. If you do that one more time,” Hawk Swoop warned the two brown kits, “then I’ll be telling your mommy.”

“You don’t tell us what to do! You’re a she-cat. Toms boss others around,” Twisted Branch complained. “Who left you to boss us around?”

“Hollow Tree, actually,” Hawk Swoop responded bitterly. “And I didn’t ask to watch over you guys, either. Also, Stoneteller’s a she-cat. Should she step down because she’s not a tom?”

Twisted Branch stuttered as he struggled to make a rebuttal. Hawk Swoop was proud that he managed to best him in their little argument - even it was just two cats speaking once each.

“So, what else are we going to do?” Rainswept Flower tilted her head to one side. Bright Stream licked one of her paws. Twisted Branch headed back to the nest, and tried to go to sleep again. Hawk Swoop herself didn’t know what to do. The kits were beginning to settle down, and it was clear that they’d be fine by themselves.

“Kits! Come here, quick!” The loud booming voice called. Hawk Swoop knew that it was Hollow Tree - she spoke loudly whenever she needed some cat. This time, it seemed urgent. Uh oh.

The four kits headed out of the nursery, cautious. They wondered just what their mothers wanted them for. Hawk Swoop noticed that Gray Wing, Shattered Ice, and Clear Sky were coming out of their dens, too. Their eyes were round with worry; she remembered that their mother, Quiet Rain, had gone out hunting, too.

When Hawk Swoop met her gaze to Hollow Tree’s, she was shocked. The large brown-and-white tabby she-cat’s fur was stained with a few blood droplets. Her fur was unkempt and messy, her legs wobbling at this point. The older queen sat herself down to prevent any more trembling. Quiet Rain, Stone Song, and Rose Flower reappeared; their pelts seemed to be similar to Hollow Tree’s. Rose Flower had a nick on one of her ears, and Stone Song had a scar on his nose.

“Mommy!” Hawk Swoop bounded over to her mother, worried. She didn’t bother to look at the other kits, who were heading for their parents. She noticed Shaded Moss come by, but that was all of the attention the scene got. “What happened?”

Rose Flower looked down at her kit with sorrowful eyes. “When we went out hunting, we found an eagle. Lapping Wave thought he could catch it, so we made a plan.”

“He said that he could catch it within one leap, and put it to the ground,” Stone Song added mournfully. “He couldn’t.”

“I-Instead, he got…” Quiet Rain put in, “...carried off.”

“Carried off?” Gray Wing looked at his mother. “But that’s impossible! You said Lapping Wave was one of the best hunters the Tribe ever had! Why did he get carried off?”

“The key word being was,” Rainswept Flower pointed out. “Doesn’t mean he is still a good hunter.”

“I’m afraid Rainswept Flower’s right,” Dove’s Wing croaked, padding toward the cats. Her pale blue eyes were faded, and Hawk Swoop could tell that she didn’t have much time before she joined Fish Leap. “Lapping Wave was only good at hunting fish at this point. His legs were too frail, and his sight was failing him at this point.”

“No wonder why that flea-brain died!” Misty Water came out of the nursery den after the others kits did, her large belly swishing back-and-forth. “He shouldn’t have went hunting in the first place.”

“Now now, Misty Water,” Broken Feather assured his mate. “Lapping Wave was not stu-”

“Are you kidding me? He’s stupider than Jagged Lightning! At least he didn’t get himself killed just to catch prey.”

“Jagged Lightning died of that chest illness. What does that have to do with Lapping Wave?” Lion’s Roar stared at the black tom.

“Jagged Lightning was Lapping Wave’s father. Don’t you remember him, brother?”

“Right,” Dove’s Wing nodded. “I remember when I was a kit, he caught the largest rabbit anyone of the three lake Tribes had ever seen.”

“But what does that have to do with Lapping Wave’s death?” Twisted Branch nosed his father. “I don’t care about what Jagged Whatsit did!”

“First of all, you should know what the cats of the past did to learn from their experiences. Second, he’s his fa-”

“I know that!” Bright Stream agreed with her brother. “But we should sit vigil for Lapping Wave, or something. It’s better to honor his death for helping our Tribe than to talk about something else.”

“Good idea.” Quiet Rain nodded at her. The speckled gray she-cat sat down, and looked down at the floor.

Hawk Swoop sat down as well, and eventually every cat in the area around her sat down in vigil for Lapping Wave. She noticed Clear Sky bopping Shattered Ice’s nose, and the gray-and-white tom let out a squeak. Misty Water silenced the two with a glare, and went back to looking down. _I don’t even remember much of Lapping Wave. Like Fish Leap._ she thought to herself glumly. T _hey’ll be forgotten eventual- no wait! I’ll tell my kits about how good a hunter Lapping Wave was! That way, he’ll never ever be forgotten. Well, that is if I have kits._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn broke over the horizon as Hawk Swoop drowsily woke up. The she-kit didn’t make it through the night awake, but neither did any other cat. Some of them shook their legs or tails to make themselves wake up; Shattered Ice flailed about just to make his paws “awake”.

The elders were the last to wake up, and they moved much slower than the others cats; for example, Dove’s Wing shook her tail lightly as she stood up, legs wobbling. Normally, they would take out the dead body of whomever died for burial. But, since Lapping Wave was carried off, they would have to make a marker of sorts to remember them by. This was the only thing they could do to honor their fallen Tribe mate.

Hawk Swoop stood up shakily as the other cats sitting vigil began to fully awaken. Clear Sky and Gray Wing headed back for their place in the nursery hollow with Quiet Rain. Sharp Hail, their father, bounded toward them, probably to see if they were okay. Hollow Tree and her kits soon followed, Stone Song and Shaded Moss behind them. Rose Flower nosed Hawk Swoop to look up at her.

“What do you want, Mommy?” the she-kit sleepily asked.

“We’re going back into the nursery now. Lion’s Roar, Silver Frost, Snow Hare, and Dove’s Wing have to collect the flowers for Lapping Wave’s memorial,” the ginger she-cat replied. “So we need to let them be. In the meantime, I’ll invite one of the softpaws to come over. They don’t seem like a bad bunch.”

Hawk Swoop shuddered when she remembered speaking with the older cats. Moon Shadow in particular bothered her, but she liked Dappled Pelt and Turtle Tail. Tall Shadow and Dewy Leaf too - really, she just didn’t like Moon Shadow. “Okay,” Hawk Swoop agreed. “You can bring one of them over.”

“Alright. But don’t make a fit if you get put with a cat you’re not close to.”

“Okay.”

Hawk Swoop looked back one last time as she say the long, gray-patched pelt of Silver Frost, recognizing her white face. She noticed Snow Hare’s thick, long fur, and that she was arriving to join the memorial-building party, too. Remember what Mommy said. she reminded herself. Don’t bother the elders.

The ginger she-cat once again bounded away back into the hollows, and where the other kits were. Who would her mother end up bringing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look, that's the second elder dead in two chapters. Judging upon on how this story's going so far, there will be one more death before we have Hawk Swoop's "softpaw" journey. Guess who.


	6. Chapter 4

Hawk Swoop waited for her mother to return to the nursery. From the little opening inside the sleeping hollows, the lights coming from outside took on a dimmer, orangey hue. She heard Clear Sky complain to Quiet Rain that he was getting sleepy. His mother merely hushed him, and from where she was at, she could barely make out the speckled gray tabby’s body curl up against her kits.

“Where did Mommy go, exactly?” the young she-kit asked the older queen from where she was sitting in her den.

“Oh...she’s with the other elders, preparing the flowers for Lapping Wave. Once they gather a few, they’ll throw them out off the cliff, and down to wherever they land.” Quiet Rain answered calmly, but her eyes showed was she was in distress.

Hawk Swoop nodded at the older queen, and looked away. How long would it take before Rose Flower would come back with that softpaw she promised?

“I’m back!” declared a soft, yet high-pitched voice. Hawk Swoop easily recognized that it was Rose Flower’s. I wonder who she brought with her.

Entering the den was the plump, short-furred figure of Rose Flower. Her stripes were pale, thin, and mostly went down to her belly. Her muzzle had a white spot on it, and her pale amber gaze blinked at her daughter. Next to her was a tortoiseshell she-cat; her pelt was an even black and white with black and ginger splotches about. She had dark green eyes, unlike Rose Flower's bright, clear amber, but the most notable thing about her was her short, stumpy tail; it seemed to end at a point, and was all bushy and puffy, like a rabbit’s.

“Isn’t that Turtle Tail?” Hawk Swoop asked, looking at the young softpaw.

“That’s right! I would have brought Moon Shadow, but the fool broke his leg trying to jump a ledge too far for his stubby legs,” Rose Flower confirmed. “Tall Shadow was there too, and I remember her laughing about it midway as she tried telling me what happened.”

“Oh, great,” said the young she-kit sarcastically. “Is he always like this?”

“Mmhmm,” Turtle Tail replied. “He’s an idiot. Clearly he didn’t inherit his father’s intelligence.”

“Who was that, again?”

“Shaded Moss. He had kits with Dusk Shadow - noticed why they kept their mother’s name?”

“Oh.”

Turtle Tail looked at Hawk Swoop as she continued to speak, twitching her puffy tail.

“So, uh, Rose Flower, you should be going now, right?”

“Yup. Don’t worry, Hawk Swoop, I’ll be back later. After this hunting trip, I won’t be picked for the next three days, so no need to worry about me leaving you.” the ginger queen replied. She then departed the den, padding off toward the opening on the side of the cave. Turtle Tail watched her leave before she came back in.

"So, uh...what's...up?" It was apparent that Turtle Tail looked awkward while trying to start the conversation; her eyes shone in a way that supported this.

"Are you acting like that because I'm younger?" Hawk Swoop asked, looking up at the older tortoiseshell with curious amber eyes. The ginger tabby hoped that this wasn't the case; she still hadn't forgotten how Moon Shadow acted to her when she approached that group of softpaws and sharpclaws.

"N-no! I'm just...not quite used to talking to others much. That's all," Turtle Tail assured the she-kit. "Not many cats spoke to me when I was a kit, so I just, well, did nothing." The tortoiseshell she-cat gave Hawk Swoop a frown.

"Oh, okay. Daddy doesn't talk to me that often, so I understand."

"My daddy? He, uh...Fern Clump never talked about him. She always seems to avoid that question when I talk to her."

"Maybe we can ask one of the elders if they know? That's how I'm learned that I'm related to Lion's Roar - my mommy is his daughter."

"Good idea! Do you mind if I go fetch my sisters?"

"If they're okay with it, I guess so."

Hawk Swoop watched as Turtle Tail left the den to fetch Dappled Pelt and Dewy Leaf. The last she saw of her was her puffy short tail swishing to and fro as the she-cat bounded out of the nursery, and her white forepaws in motion as she left. The ginger she-kit waited impatiently as she expected Turtle Tail to return. A couple of moments later, Turtle Tail's distinctive patched head came into view, and she peeped into the den. The smoky black-and-faded cream tortoiseshell pelt of Dewy Leaf was visible as she padded in with grace; Hawk Swoop could notice her well-shaped head and her short, thick fur. Dappled Pelt followed soon after; her pelt was longer than her sisters', and ginger tabby patched were about onto her black-based pelt. She had a white chin and chest, and her paws were white as well. Hawk Swoop admired how pretty each of the three sisters looked. _They all got it from Fern Clump._ she thought as she looked at them.

"Come on!" Dewy Leaf told Hawk Swoop, staring down at her with her bright coppery-amber eyes. "I wasn't brought here to  _stand_!"

"I want to know who my father is, too! Well...if only if the elders allow it...." Dappled Pelt remarked, stepping back. Hawk Swoop could tell that the she-cat was meek and naive for her age as the softpaw added in a low voice, "...and I'm okay if my father is a bad cat. At least I will know about it...."

Together, the four she-cats - one kit and three softpaws - left the nursery hollows, and went into the cave. Hawk Swoop hadn't taken much notice of how different the Tribe's home looked, even if the changes were subtle; the waterfall had a couple of new rocks near it, brought in by Twisted Branch, a flower trail was made so that Stoneteller could easily find the Cave of Pointed Stones, and some nests had been made near the prey heap. She saw Misty Water pass by, her pregnant belly swishing. Word had spread that she and Broken Feather had mated again so she could have more kits; right now, their only son was the shrewd, cunning Shattered Ice, who was the youngest softpaw, having been made one just a moon ago, shortly after Lapping Wave's death.  _I wonder how many kits they'll have! This is good news for the tribe, well, I hope._

They headed for the elders' den - which was located on the far side of the craggy wall. A few clumps of moss hanged overhead as the four cats entered the den, and it swished as each one of those cats entered. Inside, it was much larger than it appeared on the outside; several nests were in the den, as well as a little space for cats to walk into, as well as for the elders' to stretch their legs. Stone Song and Silver Frost shared tongues with one another, the latter informing him of a tale where Jagged Lightning had caught something called a squirrel. Dappled Pelt's mouth watered at the sound of the thing's name, making Hawk Swoop think that it was a prey animal. She noticed that Sharp Hail was gone.  _He's probably visiting his kits, Clear Sky and Gray Wing._ she thought to herself. Snow Hare was grooming her long, white fluffy pelt, and her short tail twitched as she cleansed it. Broken Feather got up and left the den as well, most likely to check up on his mate, Misty Water. At the den's edge lay Dove's Wing and Lion's Roar, the two oldest Tribe cats along with Broken Feather. The two were clearly enjoying their little sunbathing session, tossing and turning as they purred.

"Uh, excuse me," Hawk Swoop padded up toward the two elders. "but can I ask you a question?"

"You mean  _we._ " Turtle Tail butted in, correcting the ginger she-kit.

"How many of you came in here?" Dove's Wing croaked. Hawk Swoop noticed how unkempt and messy the short-furred gray elder's fur was, and her faded blue eyes seemed to be filled with some kind of eternal sorrow.

"Me, Hawk Swoop, Dewy Leaf, and Turtle Tail," Dappled Pelt answered, blinking her golden eyes. "I hope that's not too many...."

"Too many? Too many  _my flea-ridden_ _arse_ ," Lion's Roar snorted. "I could care less about the amount of cats in here as long as they're not causing trouble."

"He's right!" Dewy Leaf agreed. "As long as we're not poking at their eyes, I think the elders wouldn't mind having some cats in here."

"Since when did Lion's Roar speak on all of the elders' behalf?" Snow Hare glared at the two cats. Dewy Leaf and Lion's Roar merely looked at each other with confusion until Snow Hare returned to grooming.

"Anyways, what do you want answered?" Dove's Wing inquired to the four she-cats.

"Who's the father of my siblings and I? Fern Clump never told us who he was," Turtle Tail answered confidently, "and we'd really want to know."

Dove's Wing hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't tell you who he is."

" _WHAT?!_ " growled Dewy Leaf, her gaze gleaming with anger. Frightened, Dappled Pelt stepped back until she was with Stone Song and Silver Frost, the latter now grooming the former as he spoke about Hollow Tree's kitting. Dewy Leaf ignored her sister, and continued glaring at the elderly gray she-cat. " _HOW DARE YOU WITHHOLD THE IDENTITY OF OUR FATHER! I WILL C-"_

"Dewy Leaf,  _calm down_ ," Turtle Tail butted in, trying to soothe her sister. It clearly wasn't working. Hawk Swoop glanced back to see that Dappled Pelt was gone. Silver Frost met the ginger she-kit's gaze, and opened her jaws to answer.

"Since a  _certain someone_ is a scaredy-mouse, she went out to do some herb collecting with Cloud Spots and Stoneteller. She'll return soon." the gray-and-white patched she-cat explained. Hawk Swoop understood, and looked back to see Dewy Leaf shouting more curses angrily at Dove's Wing.

Lion's Roar turned around from where he was sitting and looked at the smoke tortoiseshell sternly. "So, do you want to know who your father is? If you do, there's no going back." he warned the she-cat.

" _JUST TELL ME!"_ It was clear that Dewy Leaf wanted this over with, and  _now_. Hawk Swoop could feel her hot breath over her head, and looked to see her face having some very faint sweat on it. Turtle Tail braced herself, while a weary Dappled Pelt came back in, smelling of aromatic herbs. Snow Hare, Silver Frost, Stone Song, and Sharp Hail, who had recently returned during the time Dewy Leaf was yelling at Dove's Wing, all looked on from where they were sitting. Soon, Misty Water and Broken Feather came in to hear about it as well.

Dove's Wing hesitated before revealing who the father of the three tortoiseshell she-cats were. "It's...Blown Sand," she replied at last. "Blown Sand is your father. He had a one-night fling with your mother before he decided that he loved Rose Flower."

Hawk Swoop stared at the gray elder with shock. Other cats did so too, while Dewy Leaf huffed and puffed about.  _Blown Sand is Dappled Pelt's, Dewy Leaf's, and Turtle Tail's father?_    _That must mean that we're half-sisters!_ she wondered.  _Cool!_

_"WHAT?_ " Dewy Leaf hissed at the she-cat. " _IT CAN'T BE! HE'S ALREADY MATES WITH HAWK SWOOP'S MOTHER! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!"_

"Well, Lion's Roar  _did_ warn us, you know," Dappled Pelt reminded her sister as rage filled her entire being. "He said that once we knew, we could never go back."

"I did. And now that you know, I guess your viewpoint has changed a little, eh?" Lion's Roar purred. "Now all three of you know that you're Hawk Swoop's older sisters."

"Sweet!" Turtle Tail chirped happily. "We're sisters!"

As Dewy Leaf began to shout curses at Dove's Wing again, most of the onlooking cats began to leave. Hawk Swoop felt the urge to go, and acted on impulse. The ginger she-kit bounded out of the den, and turned around to see Turtle Tail and Dappled Pelt following her. Confused, Hawk Swoop asked why her older half-sisters were following her.

"Uh...you see, we're going to ask our mother and father if this is...really true," Dappled Pelt confessed, her voice quivering. "I hope Dove's Wing wasn't l-lying."

"Oh puh- _lease_. Stoneteller once told me that Dove's Wing is the most honest cat in the whole Tribe. There's no way she could make up such a convincing lie." Turtle Tail brushed off Dappled Pelt's assumption, and twitched her short tail. 

Suddenly a ginger shape and a dark tortoiseshell one came into view. Hawk Swoop recognized them as Fern Clump's and Blown Sand's. Upon closer inspection, she could make out the medium length of her father's fur. His eyes were almond-shaped, and his face was pointed and triangular, which made him distinctive among the other Tribe cats. Hawk Swoop did not get that trait from her father, though, but the plump features of her father. Next to Blown Sand was Fern Clump, whose fur nearly reached the cave floor. Her pelt had faint stripes crossing onto the brown-black of her fur, and she had ginger flecks all about, with a large ginger spot on her forehead, along with a smaller spot on her nose. _No wonder why Dewy Leaf looks different than the other cats! She got it from my dad!_

Blown Sand spoke up with a hoarse voice. "I'm so sorry for not telling you until now. I just didn't think you four were ready for this." he apologized. Dewy Leaf gave him a confused head tilt in response.

Fern Clump nodded and added, "Cats in the Tribe do it all the time - remember Dusk Shadow and Shaded Moss? We just couldn't bring ourselves to tell you that you're the result of a small flint between us."

"I didn't realize that I loved Rose Flower until a few sunrises later," Blown Sand added, hanging his head in embarrassment. "but by then, the damage had already been done."

Hawk Swoop nodded, and so did Turtle Tail and Dappled Pelt. However, Dewy Leaf just glared at Blown Sand with angry coppery-amber eyes.

" _DO YOU THINK I AM STILL GOING TO ACCEPT_   YOU  _AS_ MY  _FATHER?"_ she hissed at the tom. Blown Sand merely flinched, and Fern Clump stepped back.

"No, and I don't expect you to ever will," Blown Sand replied calmly, "but since you wanted to know, now you know. What's been done cannot be undone."

"Right. I'm so sorry we couldn't have told you sooner." Fern Clump added in. The she-cat padded away, her tail drooping. _It's not her fault that her own daughter yelled at her. Dewy Leaf wanted to know, and she did._ she thought sympathetically. Her father soon departed, his pale ginger tail twitching as he padded away. Soon, Dappled Pelt and Dewy Leaf headed for the softpaws den - located a few rabbit-lengths near the elders' den - which left only Turtle Tail with Hawk Swoop

"So...do you want to keep talking?" the tortoiseshell asked the ginger she-kit.

"Sure!" Hawk Swoop replied cheerfully. Now knowing that Blown Sand had kits with Fern Clump, that meant that Hawk Swoop also had older sisters.  _We'll have so much fun together!_ she thought to herself joyfully.  _I know I will!_


	7. Chapter 5

Hawk Swoop was sleeping right next to her Mommy, clutching her paws onto her belly.. It had been a half-moon since Blown Sand's identity as the father to Fern Clump's kits were revealed, and for the most part, it had been dealt with. Turtle Tail and Dappled Pelt often visited Hawk Swoop when Rose Flower was gone - as the pale ginger tabby had ran out of milk - and Hawk Swoop often had a good time with her older half-sisters. However, Dewy Leaf was still furious that her mother and father didn't inform her about what happened earlier, and she often lashed out at Fern Clump and Blown Sand for what they did. Other cats began to join in on the insults, too, calling Blown Sand a "maggot filled with bees", "a mouse filled with the blood of the dead", and so on. This often made Hawk Swoop upset; Blown Sand was her father, too, and she didn't like seeing him go through so much. Occasionally, Blown Sand showed a sign of distress, but for the most part, he managed to stay neutral as the other cats insulted him.

In Hawk Swoop's dream, the world seemed to stretch on for rabbit-lengths and rabbit-lengths. She noticed some tall, thin brown things with smaller ones branching out in all directions, with many green shapes on them. One of them was in bloom; its rosy pink flowers covered the whole tree, covering most of the green stuff on it.  _Trees?_   Hawk Swoop was taught about them by her mother, as they were present along with the herbs at the bottom of the valley.  _I've never seen one before! They look so pretty! I want to get a flower from the smaller one!_ Determined, the ginger tabby kit padded sluggishly - this was a dream, after all, but of course she was blissfully unaware of this - toward the flowering tree, and tried to cling onto the tree. However, her attempt was futile; the she-kit fell off as soon as she got on, and fell down with a thud. A flower then gently fluttered down from where it was at - most likely to due the sheer force of Hawk Swoop falling from that tree - and landed on her head. 

"That's a nice flower," Hawk Swoop commented, and shook it off lightly for it to fall to the ground as if it were a feather. "I like that flower. It reminds me of my Mommy."

"Mmhmm," grumbled a deeper voice. Looking up, Hawk Swoop saw a silvery-gray tabby tom with fur of a medium length; it wasn't short or long, but it was ragged. His stripes were thin, like her father's, his eyes were of the deepest shade of blue imaginable, and his tail, although short, was as bushy as a squirrel's. Beside him were two familiar cats; Fish Leap and Lapping Wave. Fish Leap seemed more full of life than when Hawk Swoop saw him dying; his long, dark brown pelt was sleek and thick, his amber eyes seemed to be filled of a hopeful, optimistic view, and his stripes were all swirled and somewhat splotched, just like Hawk Swoop and her mother. The other cat was Lapping Wave; his blue-gray fur was still short, ragged, and unkempt, but his green eyes were just as prideful as ever.

"Hey, look, it's Rose Flower's kit," Fish Leap meowed to the other two toms. "Wonder how she ended up over  _here_."

"She's just getting, you know, _used_ to this place," Lapping Wave assured his friend. "Eventually, she'll end up where we are, right now."

"Wha-" Hawk Swoop tried to comprehend what was going on.

"Oh, before you get even  _more_ confused - thank you, boys - we need to introduce ourselves, of course," said the gray tom, cutting her off. "I am Jay's Wing, the blue-gray one is Lapping Wave, and the stupid brown one is Fish Leap."

Fish Leap glared at Jay's Wing angrily. "Don't call me stupid. What if someone else called you that?" Jay's Wing merely gave a stare back, before looking at Hawk Swoop.

"Woah!" Hawk Swoop hadn't known too much of Fish Leap and Lapping Wave during the time they were alive, but they seemed to be benevolent. However, she had never met Jay's Wing; he had died long before she was born. "So you're Jay's Wing of legend?"

"I could just be another cat named Jay's Wing, who also led the Tribe to their future home, who also elected Half Moon as Stoneteller, and  _WHO ALSO GOT POSSESSED BY A TOM HE NEVER KNEW!"_ Jay's Wing told Hawk Swoop. "...Oh, I'm sorry about that. Just had to let it out. Yes, I am Jay's Wing, yes, I did all this stuff, no, I probably will not answer all of your questions before you wake up."

"Uh...okay," Hawk Swoop flinched as Jay's Wing had unleashed his anger through his words. "Why did you get possessed?"

"It's this so-called 'destiny' thing, but in reality, it's nothing more than using me as a figure in this realm's way of doing things," Jay's Wing began. "You see, I wasn't  _ALWAYS_ like  _THIS._ I was a  _NORMAL_ tom, just trying to survive with my sister, Dove's Wing, after our mother, Falcon Swoop, got hit by a  _DAMN TWOLEG MONSTER_ and our father, Falling Rain, was  _so_  depressed that he  _LEFT ME. He LEFT_   _ **ME**." _ Hawk Swoop merely stared at the silver tabby with cautious amber eyes.

"Then, things began to go downhill from there. My best friend, Fallen Leaves,  _DIED._ Yep, you heard me.  _DIED_ ," Jay's Wing continued his angry rant. "Then, the worst thing of all happened...." _  
_

"What?" asked Hawk Swoop, her gaze now curious. Lapping Wave and Fish Leap looked solemnly at Jay's Wing.

"I  _was POSSESSED! I WAS POSSESSED BY A TOM I **NEVER** KNEW_!" Jay's Wing growled. "All because of  _THEM!_ If it weren't for  _THEM_ , I would've lived a happy life with Half Moon, with kits and all...but  _no_ _._ Apparently, since some pathetic, poor excuse for making me suffer called  _destiny_ said that some tom had to possess me in order to form the Tribe together. They chose to make  _my_ life miserable. Why? Because  ** _DESTINY SAID_ SO**!"

 Hawk Swoop flinched when he said those words.  _He doesn't seem like a very nice cat at all...._ _._ "Uh, mister Jay's Wing, is that why you're so...grumpy?" she asked.

"Ah, nope, it's the reason why I had such a happy life," he remarked sarcastically, "but yes, to answer your question, it's why I act like this."

"But can't you just improve from that?" Hawk Swoop pointed out, and padded back to the pinkish flower she was looking at earlier. Lapping Wave, Fish Leap, and Jay's Wing padded over as well, to get closer to her. The ginger she-cat began looking at the flower again. It had such finely shaped petals, that curved around at the edges, and a pleasant aroma that wafted around the air. "I mean, things won't be  _always_ bad, you know."

"Yes, ah, yes, it's  _that_ simple.  _WRONG!_ " the tom hissed. Hawk Swoop just crouched back in fear. "The cats who roam the skies here are rather...to put it kindly, judgmental. They do not give as much as a single damn if you are just trying to live a normal life, and if you are picked to do the most miserable of tasks for their own desires, you  _have_ to do it. That's what happened with _ME."_

"Jay's Wing, I think it's time for you to calm down," Fish Leap calmly soothed the gray tabby. "You're scaring Hawk Swoop! Are you trying to give her a nightmare?"

"No...I'm not...." grumbled Jay's Wing. He then slowly padded away, and eventually faded away into nothingness, surprising Hawk Swoop.

"What happened to Jay's Wing?" the ginger she-kit asked, trembling. "D-did he die?"

"He already died, silly bunny," Lapping Wave let out a  _mrrow_ of laughter, twitching his tail. "He just left us. Don't worry! He's still around - he's just very bitter about what happened, that's all."

"Oh, okay. Why am I being visited by you three - well, uh, now you two?"

"You know what Jay's Wing was talking about, right? About the cats who roam the skies above?"

"Yeah?

"Well, we're a part of them, and sometimes, we visit the dreams of very, very lucky cats. You're one of them! Well, we visit cats all the time, but still!"

 _One of them! Wow!_ "That's so cool!"

"Yep," Fish Leap interrupted Lapping Wave's rambling. "But sadly, your dream ends now. Something important is going on the Tribe. You should check it out."

Suddenly everything seem to be distorted, wavering about as they were shapes in water. Gradually, the pelts of Lapping Wave and Fish Leap begin to dim, and as much as Hawk Swoop wanted to help them, she was stuck where she was sitting. Eventually, the whole field they were in began to fade away from view - even the small flower that Hawk Swoop had found. Frightened, the she-kit tried to move, but it worked to no avail. Hawk Swoop was stuck in her fading dream.

"Hawk Swoop! Hawk Swoop! Wake up!"

_Huh?_

The ginger tabby kit woke up from her dream, fluttering her eyes open. Looking around, she saw her older half-sister Turtle Tail, watching her with concerned green eyes.

"What was going on?" the tortoiseshell asked warily. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"No! I was having so much fun, talking to all the dead cats!" Hawk Swoop assured her happily. "It wasn't a nightmare at all - well, maybe the part when Jay's Wing started getting all big, scary, and angry, but he calmed down."

" _Jay's Wing_?" Turtle Tail repeated in disbelief. "But he's been dead for countless moons! Way before I was born - and you know how old I am, right?"

"Uh, nearly...ten-and-a-half full season cycles?" Hawk Swoop struggled counting up moons after ten, so season cycles served as a way of saying four seasons in a shorter way.

"Right! And I never knew him!"

"He seemed like an okay cat. He suffered so much, though...."

"Oh yes, he did, but he did many good things, too! He even formed the Tribe, and elected our Stoneteller to lead us! How cool is  _that_?"

"That's pretty interesting. What did you want to tell me, anyway?"

"Misty Water's kitting!"

"What?"

"No, really! Come and see!" Turtle Tail led the way to Misty Water's den, Hawk Swoop following. The ginger she-kit saw Cloud Spots, Dappled Pelt, Broken Feather, Dove's Wing, Shattered Ice, and even Stoneteller all inside the den - Stoneteller was merely advising the birth.  _Wow! This must be really important._

Misty Water was frantically pacing around, her pregnant belly swishing side to side. The ragged gray she-cat let out a wail as Broken Feather gave the signal for her to sit down.

"My mum is so brave, you know?" Shattered Ice glanced at Hawk Swoop. "Da told me that this happened when she had me."

"Right, but all of your siblings died in the process," Broken Feather meowed mournfully. "Misty Water's a bit old to have kits, but we felt that it was time to have some more before she retires."

"Why did they all die?" Hawk Swoop asked curiously. She felt terrible that the kits that she never got to know had to die; they never got to taste fresh-kill for the first time, they never got to go outside the gave, they didn't do any of the things the other cats did.

"For some reason - and my memory is a bit old, you see - Misty Water, who is my kit, mind you," Dove's Wing began, "always seemed to be different than her brothers and sisters. When we got Cloud Spots - who's exceptionally talented - to look at it, he discovered that Misty Water can't have as many kits as the rest of us. Poor snow bunny! And I remember when she was just a softpaw, rambling about how much she wanted kits."

"But that means she can still have kits, right?" Hawk Swoop seemed somewhat interested in this topic.

"Duh. I'm the living proof, right here, alive and breathing!" Shattered Ice pointed out, twitching his gray tail. "But she can't have more than one - well, she can, but-"

"But if she does have more than a certain number..." Cloud Spots butted in, cutting off Shattered Ice, "...then the kits cannot survive. Due to certain complications and defects, they usually die."

"Poor Misty Water," Dappled Pelt meowed solemnly as she nudged the stick toward the gray she-cat, who delightfully bit on it as hard as a eagle's grip. "It must be hard having to lose most of your kits just because you're a bit different than other cats."

"Unfortunate as it is, cats die all the time over here," Broken Feather muttered. The black tom seemed glum despite his mate having his second litter. "I remember when Silver Frost was trying to have a litter with...who was it? Was it Strong Pounce? Yes, it was that ginger tom. Anyways, when they tried to have kits, they discovered that Silver Frost was barren; she couldn't have kits. I remember her being so distraught that she couldn't eat for several days, and Strong Pounce just looked at her with his...copper eyes, as if he was the most miserable thing."

"That sounds like a shame," Dappled Pelt commented. "What happened to Strong Pounce, anyways?"

"He was still Silver Frost's mate, but he went on to mate with Snow Hare and had you, Cloud Spots, as well as your brother, Shaded Moss. One day, he got a lump in his belly, and he soon died."

"That stinks," Cloud Spots commented, "but death is something that cannot be avoided. We can only do our best to stray from it as long as possible before it catches up to us."

Broken Feather and the others soon began to shift focus to Misty Water, who was now wailing in pain. From the time she entered to now, Hawk Swoop hadn't noticed that Misty Water was done kitting. Placed next to her large belly were seven small shapes; however, only one of them seemed to move at all. Not one of the other six kits seemed to budge. Perplexed, the ginger she-kit prodded at one of the still kits. It felt cold, wet, and slimy to the touch, and Hawk Swoop shivered.

"What's wrong?" she squeaked, disappointed. Why was only one kit moving?

Misty Water looked at the kits at her belly, distraught, and buried her face into the moss of the nest, wailing. Her tail seemed to droop, and it was clear that she wasn't in any positive mood at all.

"H-her kits a-are...dead." Dappled Pelt's voice quivered with every word. "A-all e-except for...."

"All except for one!" growled Dove's Wing. "The small, long-haired, curly-furred she-kit."

Hawk Swoop looked to see the she-kit suckle at a teat at her mother's belly. She seemed to have a mixture of her parents, along with with a white chest, belly, hind legs, front paws, and a dash on her nose, which somewhat contrasted with the dark gray of her pelt. Her ears and tail were curly, and her tail in particular seemed as bushy as a squirrel's. _I don't know why, but I feel..._ something  _for that kit._  Hawk Swoop thought.

"Does she have a name yet?" the ginger kit asked.

"N-no. But you can go name her, if you want - well, if Misty Water's okay with it," Broken Feather replied. Then, in what appeared to be some sort of asking and replying, Misty Water looked up from where she was, and gave a nod before she pressed her face back onto the nest. "She says it's fine - just don't name it anything vulgar."

"Okay!" Hawk Swoop then began to think of all of the possible names for this she-kit.  _Well...the white markings on her pelt look as if they are moving along quickly like water on a river...that's it!_

"Did you think of something, Hawk Swoop?" asked Broken Feather, flicking a black ear.

"Yeah! What did you think of for my little sister? It better be good, too." Shattered Ice added in. 

"Is it something pretty?" meowed Turtle Tail. She had seemed silent throughout their conversations, but she did listen with good intentions.

"You know what Broken Feather said, right?" meowed Cloud Spots.

"It has to be something that fits in with the rest of us." Dove's Wing reminded Hawk Swoop, batting a faded blue eye.

"And it can't be vulgar, either." Dappled Pelt pointed out.

"So...Hawk Swoop, right?" Stoneteller looked down at her with deep green eyes. "What will you name this kit? You are fortunate enough to have been chosen to name a kit - you are one, after all, and normally the mother names it."

Hawk Swoop thought for a few more moments before her amber gaze was determined. Looking back up at Stoneteller, she replied, "Quick Water. Her name will be Quick Water."


	8. Chapter 6

It had been a half-moon since Misty Water kitted Quick Water, and the gray-and-white she-kit had already opened her eyes. Rainswept Flower, Twisted Branch, and Bright Stream had all became softpaws, and left the nursery. Their mother, Hollow Tree, finally joined the elders' den with one of their fathers, Stone Song, leaving Hawk Swoop with arrogant Clear Sky and mellow Gray Wing, who weren't too long from becoming softpaws, either. Blown Sand continued to be harassed by other cats, and by now Hawk Swoop could see that he was hurting. 

Hawk Swoop was laying on her side in the nursery as she heard the squeaking voices of Gray Wing and Clear Sky arguing in the other den nearby. 

"I'm better than you! Quiet Rain says that I'm her best kit!"

"No, I am!"

"I am!"

"I am!"

From her position, the ginger she-kit could see the two brothers tossing and turning as they argued over their superiority.  _Silly kits_. Hawk Swoop thought humorously.  _Only wanting their mother's approval._

Then, Quiet Rain padded into their den, and announced, "You two! Get to sleep  _now_. No cat in their right mind would be awake in the morning. We usually don't start waking up fully until sunhigh."

"But Q-"

"Clear Sky,  _shut your mouth._ I am your mother, and you must heed my words," Quiet Rain snapped at the pale gray tom kit. "You realize that I do not care about how much you are better than your brother, right?"

"Huh?" Clear Sky was obviously confused, tilting his head.

"I love you both the same. I wouldn't prefer one over the other. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. Now, get back to sleep. We'll be up again soon."

Reluctantly, Gray Wing waited for Clear Sky to get in the nest before the dark gray tom-kit slowly padded in, and curled up next to his brother and his mother.  _He seems really shy._ Hawk Swoop noticed how hesitant and embarrassed the young kit was.  _I should get to sleep, too._

Not along afterwards, Rose Flower padded back into the den, carrying a fresh mouse in her jaws. "I brought this for you, little snow bunny," she informed her daughter. "It's time for you to start eating prey now."

"Uh...okay?" Hawk Swoop hadn't been given a hint about this at all, but she guessed that it must be so important that no cat could tell her. "Give me a bit of it."

The ginger tabby queen prodded the upper half of the mouse toward Hawk Swoop. Glancing at it, the she-kit first took a small nibble at the piece of fresh-kill.  _Hey...this isn't half-bad!_  Overjoyed with the taste, the she-kit continued to give several nibbles at the part of the mouse until it was completely done.

"Did you like it?" asked Rose Flower

"Like it? I  _loved it_ , Mommy!" Hawk Swoop replied joyfully.

"Great. Now, time for nap. It won't be long before sunhigh, I promise. Once you wake up again, maybe you can go play with Quick Water!"

"Okay!" Comfortably, Hawk Swoop curled up next to her mother, and closed her eyes again. What if Jay's Wing and his friends were to visit her again?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Hawk Swoop found herself again in the same field, with the same flowering blossoms. Once again padding towards her were Lapping Wave and Fish Leap, their gazes distressed. Bounding after them were seven small kits. It took Hawk Swoop several moments to realize that they were Misty Water's deceased children.

"Even the kits go here?" she asked, tilting her head. 

"Right. Even if they are not named, they still go here when they die, always waiting for their mothers to join them," Fish Leap explained. He signaled to one kit, a fluffy brown tabby tom-kit, to come over. Happily, the little tom squeaked and came running over. "This little fellow's name is Twig Leaf. He's one of Misty Water's lost kits."

"Are you my mummy?" Twig Leaf squealed.

"No," Hawk Swoop replied sadly. "I'm not your mummy."

"Oh...okay." The brown tabby tom-kit ran back to his siblings, and after a series of squeaks and chirps, the others came. All of them had blue eyes - they died before they could open them, anyways.

"My name is Bird's Feather!" shouted a white she-kit.

"Yo! Muddy Cliff, here!" greeted a brown-and-white she-kit.

"Dying Fire!" declared a ginger tabby tom-kit.

"Avocet's Flight, nice to meet you." formally greeted a black-and-white she-kit. She looked very similar to Quick Water, with her curly fur and dark colors and white markings.

"Howdy! Apple Bloom here." squeaked a cream-colored tom-kit. His fur was just as fuzzy as his mother's.

"Waning Moon." introduced a black tom-kit with a long tail.

Hawk Swoop felt so overwhelmed with all of these kits that she just wanted to bound away to the trees, sit under them, and watch as blossoms fell upon her head. "Can you just  _leave me alone_?" she growled.

Then all seven kits went quiet. Not one of them made a movement, apart from Apple Bloom - who motioned his tail high, to show his happiness.

"Why am I supposed to meet you all, anyways?" the ginger she-kit asked. "I'm only a kit!"

"Didn't you say that you were to have kits, did you?" Lapping Wave inquired, twitching an ear.

"Uh-wha- _no_!" replied Hawk Swoop. "I'm probably not going to have kits. I'll probably end up like Fish Leap...forgotten, unimpor-"

"Now, you just wait a moment," Fish Leap cut the she-kit off.  "I wasn't unimportant. I was one of few to remember the lake! In order to stand out, you got to do something important!"

"Like what?"

"Having kits, for one! One might become the most beloved cat of all."

"But not me?"

"...Uh...." Fish Leap trailed off as he tried to think of a good reason. Hawk Swoop glared at him with amber eyes. Suddenly the dream began to waver and distort, just like the previous time, and once again Hawk Swoop woke up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What happened?" Rose Flower gave a concerned look toward her kit.

"Uh...nothing." Hawk Swoop lied, blinking her amber eyes.

"You looked as if you were being crowded around."

"Erm...." Hawk Swoop was being surrounded by all of those dead kits in her dream. But how did her mother know?

"Either way, it is now sunhigh, so you can go play with Quick Water."

"Okay!" The ginger classic tabby kit bounded over to the other nursery, where Misty Water lay in her nest. The ragged gray she-cat still hadn't got over the deaths of her kits, but she allowed other kits to play with her only daughter, as long as they weren't hurting each other.

Quick Water was sitting in her nest, head tucked in between her paws. She looked at Hawk Swoop curiously with her kitten-blue eyes. _Is she starting to hear things yet?_   _  
_

"Hi," greeted the gray-and-white she-kit. She lifted up her small head, and looked up. "You big!"

Hawk Swoop looked down at her paws, embarrassed. "Haha, I guess I  _am_ big." she replied.

"Mum don't teach me many words yet," Quick Water added, "but I is trying. I'm very young, you know?"

"I know. I used to be just like you. I'm a bit older than you - didn't your mother tell me?"

"Uh, yes. Mum tells me lots of things. But she seem very sad. As if something bad happen to her."

Hawk Swoop paused for a few moments, remembering how much Misty Water struggled giving birth to her kits. "They're in a better place now."

"Where? Elder den?" 

"Uh, no. Somewhere far away from here. They're safe."

"That good to hear."

"What else do you do?"

"Nothing."

Hawk Swoop paused as she watched the gray-and-white she-kit try to get out of her nest. The dark-colored kit stumbled about, often falling down to her paws, but eventually crawled out. Quick Water then fell down to her paws again, but now on the cold floor. She looked up at Hawk Swoop, staring at the older ginger she-kit with confused kitten-blue eyes.

"What happen to me?" she squeaked.

"You got out of your nest, silly!"

"Oh," replied Quick Water. "I must be good climber."

"Mmhmm." Hawk Swoop responded. "You're learning faster than me! I'm a bit older than you, but I remember when I was learning the same things you were!"

"Huh?" Quick Water gave a confused tilt of her head.

"Uh, as in, words," the ginger she-kit tried to explain. "I was learning words."

"Ohh," Quick Water squealed back. "Make sense to me!"

Hawk Swoop smiled at the younger kit. For some reason, she began feeling...something. It wasn't the warm and fuzziness she was used to when she was treated with kindness, but rather, she began to get all flustered. Looking at Quick Water, the feeling of affection spread throughout her body, until she had to sit down.  _This is weird. Why am I feeling this? This isn't happy, or sad...._

Rose Flower padded into the den, gave Misty Water a notice that she was taking back Hawk Swoop. Grabbing her kit by the scruff of her neck, the pale ginger tabby padded away, with Hawk Swoop flailing her paws about as she was moved back into her den.

"Mommy," Hawk Swoop began as she was placed into the nest, "earlier, I was feeling something weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Er, well, I started getting all...flustered."

"Hmm," Rose Flower thought for a few moments before she replied, "sounds like you're becoming good friends with Quick Water already! That's a good thing."

"So this is normal?" Hawk Swoop inquired. "I felt some really weird feelings of closeness, Mommy...."

"Sounds like it to me. I haven't heard of a kit in the Tribe with those kinds of feelings, but it's best to assume that they're fine. Now, want to go get some fresh-kill with me, and meet up with your father?"

"Sure!" Hawk Swoop hadn't seen her father at all today; he was still dealing with all of insults, of course. Excited, Hawk Swoop followed after Rose Flower, impatient about seeing her father again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had some fun kits! However, some of their names were suggested by Wikia users, so I must give credit to them.
> 
> The name "Twig Leaf" was made by SnowedLightning.  
> The name "Bird's Feather" was made by Jayfrost (whom is also an author here on Ao3)  
> and the name "Muddy Cliff" was made by Quintessa.
> 
> Thank you, dears, for your help! I appreciate it.


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING; contains scenes which may be terrifying for some readers. Read with caution, dears!

Some time later, Hawk Swoop and Quick Water padded over to the prey heap with their mothers, looking for Hawk Swoop's father. The ginger she-kit ended up making the dark gray-and-white she-kit tag along with a successful beseech; Misty Water, however, merely had to go up and get something to eat. Excited, the two kits were moving as if they were bouncing up and down, waiting for Blown Sand to arrive.

"I can't wait to see my dad!" Hawk Swoop squeaked. "Even if he is busy a lot, he's the best dad ever!"

"My dad  always in elder den," Quick Water replied, giving a quick nod, "so I can visit him whenever I feel."

"Cool!" Hawk Swoop loved listening to Broken Feather's stories; they were often filled with a rush of excitement and had the air of mystery that Tribe life sometimes didn't have.

The four cats waited around for Blown Sand, and Hawk Swoop looked at the behaviors of the cats nearby. Turtle Tail was busy sharing a dusky-colored mouse with Dappled Pelt. Moon Shadow was boasting about his accomplishments to Tall Shadow. Snow Hare was busy teaching kits about how new kits were made, with Silver Frost advising her so that she could make sure she wasn't feeding them false information.

Sharp Hail lay basking in the little light seeping through the hole on the side of the cave along with Lion's Roar, the two toms turning side to side to get their full enjoyment. Stone Song was muttering something to Dove's Wing about "doing the act of self-enjoyment to himself," which Hawk Swoop didn't understand. Fern Clump and Dusk Shadow were sharing tongues; Dusk Shadow was grooming and listening while Fern Clump spoke of the good hunting they had through the past few moons.

After a while, Hawk Swoop began to get bored. She watched Dewy Leaf playfully flick some water at Moon Shadow when he was done boasting.  Shattered Ice, Rainswept Flower, and Turtle Tail, who finished her meal, were all practicing and giving each other advice to hunt in a superior manner.  _Where is my dad?_ she wondered.

"Hmm, dear," Rose Flower looked at her daughter. "Would you like to get something to eat?"

"Uh...sure?" Hawk Swoop twitched her tail, confused. She then padded over to the heap, and dragged part of a hare over to where Quick Water was waiting.

"I don't think I eat that now...." Quick Water gave a disappointed look.

"Oh, okay. More for me!" Hawk Swoop acknowledged the younger kit's frustration, but as much as she wanted to share, Quick Water wouldn't be having meat for a few more moons. She then turned to the piece of the hare, and eagerly began to eat mouthfuls of it. Enjoying the taste of its flesh, she continued to eat until she was full. For some odd reason, however, she was beginning to feel dizzy. 

"Mommy, can you take me back to my nest?" the she-kit pleaded. The pale ginger queen agreed to, and Hawk Swoop stumbled after her mother, while looking back at Quick Water and Misty Water with sad eyes. She wanted to stay longer with them, but she was getting more frazzled by the second.

Her mother then carried her by the scruff of her neck, and proceeded to pad the rest of the way to the nursery dens before she placed Hawk Swoop gently back into their nest. At this point she felt as if she was about to vomit. Hawk Swoop buried her head into a side of the nest, and gradually she began to lose consciousness. As she was about to fall unconscious, a loud voice rang from the prey heap, the voice being Fern Clump's. The she-kit didn't understand, as she had went out to hunt with Blown Sand - as Dusk Shadow reported - some time after they were done sharing tongues. Why would she be back now?

"Blown Sand is-"

Then Hawk Swoop faded out from the rest of the Tribe - the dizziness was too much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hawk Swoop found herself in another dream, in the same fields with the blossoming trees with the pinkest hues imaginable.  _Why do I keep going_ here?

The ginger she-kit got up and looked around. This time there was a very pale brown tabby-and-white she-cat with blue eyes and thick, long fur. She slowly padded over toward Hawk Swoop, and gave her a worried look with her deep gaze.

"I hope you know what's going on, do you, dear?" the tabby asked impatiently. "Then again, I suppose it'd b-be best if you don't know...."

Hawk Swoop blinked her eyes. "I don't. Who are you, anyway?"

"My name?" The tabby's gaze seemed blank for a moment before she responded. "Shelly."

"Shelly? Shelly What? Shelly Breeze?" Hawk Swoop didn't understand how Shelly didn't have a two-word name, like every other cat in the Tribe. What kind of Tribe cat was she?

"No, dear. Just Shelly," the she-cat replied softly. "I am not a part of your Tribe."

"What?" Hawk Swoop had heard rumors that Fern Clump, Dusk Shadow, and Blown Sand were all from another place, but she hadn't seen a cat from there. "What do you mean, Shelly?"

"Here we go," she began. "You see, dear, there were a group of cats living at a large lake. Three groups, actually. Besides them, there was me, and a few other cats, one who had kits. Before I was born, one of them had already left,  and by the time I was expecting my kits, there was only one group left, who shunned me oh-so-heavily because I wasn't one of them. Then, I had to go all the way up to the mountains with the other kits, since their mother died. It was a long, hard journey - sometimes, there were unexpected blizzards that tried to stop me - but I never made it to the top, where you live."

"So what happened next?" Hawk Swoop asked, her amber eyes attentive.

"Realizing that I couldn't make it up there - I was expecting kits, dear, remember that - I decided to take a rest in a small cavern. Unexpectedly I had my kits, but the pain was unbearable. Now, I was tired, hungry, and weak. I knew that I had to bring my kits up, but how, I wondered to myself. A few sunrises afterwards, I fell asleep, and what do you know, I died!" Shelly replied, frowning. "Now, the reason why I am telling you this is because your father was one of my kits! Dusk Shadow and Fern Clump were kits of the other she-cat who had died. The only three to survive, too. Luckily one of your Tribe cats - Strong Pounce, I think - found them when he was on a walk. He carried up the kits - poor starving things! - and they were made members of your Tribe."

"Wow! That's cool!" Hawk Swoop exclaimed. "But why are you telling me this  _now_?"

"Your father is in a very grave condition right now. He's suffering too much! Oh, if I could help my poor dear." Shelly replied.

"What happened to him?" Hawk Swoop was suddenly frightened. Grave condition? But how?

"It would be best if you found out...I wasn't supposed to tell you...." Shelly looked ashamed. 

"But-"

"It would be best if you found out, dear! I am not to serve as mere exposition!"

"Wh-"

Then, like how it had occurred the previous occasions, the whole area began to appear distorted and blurry, slowly moving in one continuing spiral toward the sun, the center of it. Hawk Swoop began to squeal in terror as she neared the spiral. Trying to dart away, the she-cat crouched down, her muscles twitching, and attempted to leap away. It only dragged her back, and she continued to cry out in horror as the spiral sucked her in. Glancing back, Hawk Swoop saw Shelly being moved toward the center, the she-cat fading away from her vision as she reached the center, which was dark and soot-colored compared to the pale brightness of the sun. Even the few lights from above could not escape the gaping void from the center, and then everything went dark.

Hawk Swoop could not see anything, and felt as she was being dragged closer and closer to something. Then her fur felt as if it was being ripped out of her skin, and she began to raise her voice as the dark center of the entwining spiral was sucking her in. Her tail felt as it was being stretched, and gradually the feeling expanded throughout her body. The ginger she-kit now felt longer and longer, and her body continued being lengthened, which caused some minor pain at first. However, as it went on, her flesh and bones began to feel stretched out, and she could feel some tearing of her muscles. Squealing in pain, Hawk Swoop now felt her body being torn in two, and everything went blank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The she-kit woke up panting and heaving as if she was undergoing some great suffering. Stoneteller, Dappled Pelt, Quick Water, and Rose Flower all surrounded Hawk Swoop, looking down at her with concerned eyes.  _I'm alive! I don't feel as funny, either!_

"You okay?" Quick Water squeaked, her eyes filled with concern. "You not move earlier."

"My kit! She's okay!" Rose Flower gave a relieved look to Stoneteller, who acknowledged it with a nod.

"Stoneteller, do you know what this is?" Dappled Pelt inquired, her tail up high in happiness as Hawk Swoop quickly got up. "I mean, what happened to Hawk Swoop?"

"It appears as if she had eaten a bad piece of hare, which started to give her hallucinations. Eventually she ended up falling asleep," Stoneteller explained, "and she had a dream. Must have had lead to a nightmare! Poor kit."

"Am I okay now?" Hawk Swoop looked up at Stoneteller worriedly. "Will this happen to me always?"

"Oh, you're fine!" the white she-cat assured the ginger she-kit. "Some rest seemed to have done the trick."

"But when Broken Feather did that when he had a belly ache, it didn't work!" Dappled Pelt pointed out.

"It must vary from cat to cat, then. Just like the effectiveness of some herbs!" Stoneteller declared.

"At least she okay." Quick Water chirped in happily.

"Right. My kit is safe! Thank the cats above for their mercy! Especially after what happened to my poor mate...." Rose Flower added in. When she mentioned Blown Sand, her head drooped, and so did her tail. Her amber eyes began to brim with sorrow.

Hawk Swoop recalled what Shelly had told her in the dream, about her father's condition, and she was afraid again. "What happened to Dad?"

"He...he broke his leg when he was out hunting an eagle. W-when he was leaping for it, he misjudged the distance between himself and the eagle, and he fell on some rocks. Fern Clump found him bleeding and nearly l-limp after she was told to l-look for him..." Rose Flower explained. "Now he won't wake up! He's not dead, but he won't wake up!"

"Why?"

"Stoneteller said that it's because he hit his head. He's not dead, but he looks a-as if he is...."

Hawk Swoop's feet were now twitching with anxiety, and her yearning to see her father only increased now knowing how terrible his condition was.

"C-can I go see him with Quick Water now?" she finally asked after several moments of consideration.

Rose Flower thought for a few heartbeats before she replied, her normally optimistic voice dull and solemn. "Fine."

Hawk Swoop gave a signal for Quick Water to get up and follow her. The dark gray-and-white kit did as told, and the two she-kits padded out of the nursery dens. Not too far away was the bloodied body of Blown Sand, covered in cobwebs by Stoneteller. Excited yet cautious, both of them ran up to him, hoping to get a pleasant surprise, one of him waking up.

When they got there, Hawk Swoop saw Blown Sand barely moving, as if he was on his deathnest, and the ginger she-kit squeaked in surprise.


	10. Chapter 8

"Dad?" Hawk Swoop squeaked, confused. "Daaaaaad?"

"I no think he listen," Quick Water frowned. "for he dead."

"N-no...." The ginger she-kit was denying her friend's claim. Her father? Dying? Why now?

Then Blown Sand began to make a very, very faint movement. So faint that Hawk Swoop didn't even detect it at first. But gradually the tom was moving his limbs. Hawk Swoop was relieved to see that he was far from dead. Even if he appeared to have died, he surely was full of life as he started to move again. 

The pale ginger tom fluttered open his eyes, and confused, looked around. He seemed as if he didn't know where he was - but Hawk Swoop obviously knew that he was in the cave. Blown Sand didn't seem to recognize it, though, and turned his head side to side.

"Where am I?" Blown Sand asked, blinking his pale eyes. Hawk Swoop could tell that something was wrong with him. The tom's gaze seemed uncertain and confused. He looked at the gash on the side of his foreleg, and let out a shriek. 

"What happened to me? Surely none of  _you_ did this to me?" Blown Sand demanded an answer from his Tribemates. Most of them kept quiet; Rose Flower peeped out of the nursery with wary eyes. Eventually Dappled Pelt stood up from among the cats.

"You got hurt by that eagle. Don't you remember?" she called out.

"Eagle? What eagle? I only remember something hitting me, and everything went dark...." The ginger told the young tortoiseshell. "You look a bit familiar."

"Of c-course I do! It's me, Dappled Pelt!" the she-cat responded. "You know, your daughter?"

"What daughter?" the pale tabby inquired. "I don't think I have any family."

" _What_?" Turtle Tail's mouth gaped open wide. "Don't be silly! You have me, Dappled Pelt, Dewy Leaf, Rose Flower, Haw-"

"You must be lying, then," Blown Sand scoffed, "because I have no family. Well, none that I remember, anyway."

Dewy Leaf popped her head up from where she was sitting in the back, glaring at the pale ginger tom with beady copper eyes. " _HOW DARE YOU, YOU SON OF A M-"_

"Dewy, that's enough," Turtle Tail looked back at her sister, concerned. "I think just about  _every cat_ in the Tribe knows your anger toward Blown Sand. Please don't pick at the scab."

"But he-"

"Eenope. Not having it today."

"Why is she acting that way to me?" Blown Sand inquired. "She seems like a brat."

Dewy Leaf popped her head back down, seething with rage as Turtle Tail explained. "Oh, that's easy. You had a one-off fling with Fern Clump. See that pretty mottled tortoiseshell. That's her."

"No wonder why she looks familiar."

"So, after your little bang, she got pregnant, and then had us."

"What happened then?"

"Nobody knew about it. From what Fern Clump told me, you decided that the relationship couldn't work out."

"And?"

"You didn't tell us until recently! Why are you acting like you don't know any of this?"

"I don't. Why are  _you_ acting like that?"

Hawk Swoop watched as Turtle Tail and Blown Sand continued to argue, one doubting the other's certainty. 

"You're lying!"

"No, I'm not! It's the honest truth, I swear!"

"I doubt it."

Why was her father acting like he didn't know? Did something happen to him that caused him to forget every single moment that occurred during his life? Suddenly the she-kit grew worried. Had Blown Sand forgotten her, as he forgot her mother and older half-sisters? Even Shelly, who had gave birth to him, and watched over him from above? What was going on? Thoughts were racing in Hawk Swoop's mind.  _This doesn't seem right...._

"For the last time, I don't know  _any_ of you!" Blown Sand snarled at the other Tribe cats. "Who do you think I am? Hmm? Your lord and savior?"

"That means he must ha-" Fern Clump gasped in shock, her pale amber gaze wide. "No!"

"What are you talking about, Fern Clump?" Hawk Swoop asked.

"H-he must've lost his memory!" she cried out. "That's the only explanation for why he won't remember any of us!"

The cats around Blown Sand let out several gasps. Shaded Moss was looking at the tom, horror in his deep green eyes. Rose Flower hurried out of the nursery, startled. Dove's Wing and Broken Feather poked their heads out of the den, and let out soft mourning sounds as they went back into their den. Dewy Leaf let out a hiss in frustration, and stormed off to the prey heap, displeased that her father failed to recognize her. Quick Water looked at Hawk Swoop, and shuffled her white paws. She was now feeling uncomfortable, but she could talk to Quick Water to try get rid of that feeling.

"Memer? What that?" she softly questioned. 

"Memory is the stuff that you, uh, remember," Hawk Swoop explained. "For example, do you remember when you first, er, opened your eyes?"

"Yeah."

"Then you remember that. Remembering things is like going back to what you've been through, all that you've experienced," she continued. "Do you get that?"

"Yup. Father lost memory, and now he don't know you."

Hawk Swoop stared at the gray-and-white she-kit in shock. "What?"

"If he say, oh, 'I don't know you,' then that mean he don't know  _you_ , too."

"N-no!" the ginger she-kit denied. "He remembers me!"

"Go try. Not fault of mine if he say no." Quick Water suggested, and signaled to Blown Sand, who was being checked on by Stoneteller.

"Okay." Hawk Swoop got up from where she was sitting - near Blown Sand's nest - and waited for Stoneteller to stop talking. She was informing him about the importance of the Tribe and its members, all the things that it meant....

"Our ancestors above, however, do not influence any decisions made by your Tribemates. They only influence me," Stoneteller said. Hawk Swoop could tell that this was her lecture on beliefs. She had been given this, and it was pleasing to know that she didn't have anything to believe in, so there would be no hassle from that. "Therefore, we are incredibly accepting of others' beliefs. If they don't believe in our starry ancestors, that is okay. If they do, that is also fine. All we ask for is for you to do your part, and to serve the Tribe with honor and dignity."

"Hmph. Sounds like the place for me already!" Blown Sand commented, tail raised high in pleasure. "So, I just have to speak to this mate, or whatever she is, those three tortoiseshells that are my kits, and that ginger she-kit, who's also my kit, about this situation, and expect them to adjust?"

_That ginger she-kit? Didn't she tell him my name?_ "B-but Stoneteller!" Hawk Swoop butted in. "Does he know my name?"

"I'm afraid not. Maybe if he asks you, he'll know," Stoneteller replied. "but for now, let me finish my lecture."

Hawk Swoop, disappointed, padded away from the two cats, head hanging low. She headed toward where Quick Water was sitting with some scraps of hare, and sat down.

"Ma gave these to me. Said that you need to eat." Quick Water informed her.

"Thanks...." Hawk Swoop looked down at the measly scraps Misty Water brought her. Although she was terribly disappointed that her father didn't recall her name, she was grateful that the older queen had brought her something to eat, even if it was small. She began eating her fill, each bite like honey is to a cat; bland and flavorless. Only the scraps had more shape and texture than the bland honey that was rarely present. It was usually brought up by either Dappled Pelt, Cloud Spots, or Stoneteller; the three were often involved with herbs, and honey helped with breathing problems.

"You okay?" Quick Water gave a worried glance to Hawk Swoop. "You don't look good."

"I'm fine. No need to w-worry!" Hawk Swoop replied, faking her happiness. "I'm fine, I'm fine!"

"If you repeat self, you are  _not_ fine," Quick Water gave a cross look at the ginger she-kit. "Ma told me that."

Hawk Swoop knew that her friend was right, but she couldn't come to meet with such terms. Why didn't Blown Sand remember anyone? What was going on? Why was nothing making any sense? Why was it happening to her?

Then Rose Flower called her back to the nursery. "Quick Water must come, too." she advised her daughter. "Do not fidget when I speak, okay?"

"Okay." The ginger she-kit led the way, Quick Water trailing behind, and the two kits eventually were in the nursery den of Rose Flower. Hawk Swoop sat down fit, followed by her friend. Her Mommy then padded in between the two, and faced them in the front.

"So, while you were eating the scraps, dear, Blown Sand told me that there would be a couple of...changes to how we act around him."

"Like what?"

"First, we must obey everything he says. However, Stoneteller told me that if he's being unreasonable, you should listen to me."

"Okay...." Hawk Swoop tilted her head. Did her father change from his indifferent views on parenthood, and now wanted to be more devoted? Not that he already was, anyways.

"He will also decide when you will become a softpaw," she continued, "which will be in the next moon-and-a-half."

"Awesome!" Now Hawk Swoop had a set time for when she would finally be able to learn more about the secrets of her Tribe, under the guidance of all of sharpclaws and Stoneteller.

"And...and we must conform to his opinions." Rose Flower sighed. "Not that I agree with it, but that is what he says, and Stoneteller allowed him to do as he pleases."

"But what if he does something wrong? Like tell us to kill our Tribemates?"

"Stoneteller will throw him out then. Since he lost his memory, he will be treated like a new visitor. We haven't had one in moons, mind you."

"But why?"

"I already told you, dear. He lost his memory."

"How?"

"Oh, goodness, you ask too many questions. Anyways, the trauma of the wound he received from the eagle, as well as hitting his head as he fell to the ground, is what most likely caused him to forget everything about us and the Tribe."

"Everything?"

"Didn't he say it loud and clear? All he vaguely remembers is the eagle."

"But why?"

"Only the stars above know." Rose Flower wistfully replied, and padded away to the other side of the den, in her nest. "Maybe one day, they will answer me."

Hawk Swoop frowned. Even her own  _mother_ was uncertain about Blown Sand.  _Maybe if he hadn't chased that eagle, maybe he would still remember me. Maybe if I stopped him from going, he'd be okay. Maybe if...._ she miserably thought. The she-kit began letting out noises that easily gave away her feelings; she was feeling guilty and hurt.

Quick Water gave a glance at Hawk Swoop, and scooted over to her side. "You okay?"

"Y-y-I mean n-no. I'm n-not fine." Hawk Swoop replied. 

"Then I stay here until you fine," Quick Water declared. "I think friend should not be sad."

"Friend?"

"Yes, you friend. Ma  _also_ told me that. You be okay. Okay?" Quick Water mewed.

"Okay. Thanks." Hawk Swoop gave a grateful glance toward the younger she-kit as she continued to think about the events that were happening and had happened.  _Even though she's young, Quick Water is a very nice cat. If I didn't have my Mommy and Dad with me, I'd stay with her. She's so nice..._ the she-kit thought. . _..and you know what?_   _We'll probably be best friends, for ever and ever!_ _  
_


	11. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW; abuse. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

A half-moon had passed since Blown Sand had lost his memory, and Hawk Swoop would become a softpaw within the next moon. Clear Sky and Gray Wing had moved out of the nursery, and Quiet Rain had returned to her sharpclaw duties. Hawk Swoop could see the two brothers arguing outside of the nursery.

"I'm better than you!"

"I'm telling Quiet Rain on you!"

Hawk Swoop rolled her eyes and turned away from the arguing cats. Turtle Tail, Dappled Pelt, and Dewy Leaf were made sharpclaws, and they easily mingled among the others. Snow Hare was back in the nursery with another litter of kits thanks to Broken Feather, who was willing to have kits with her with Misty Water's consent, and would be expecting them any day now. The pregnancy went unexpected; it was only on a hunting patrol did she realize that she was expecting. She recalled Hollow Tree pointing out that Broken Feather's kits always began to be felt when it was least expected. 

Now, the ginger she-kit was waiting for her father to come over. Since he had the odd role of being in charge in this family, given to him by Stoneteller, he always had a set time for which he would arrive in. It was past that time, however, and Hawk Swoop was beginning to get bored. Snow Hare noticed this, and looked down at Hawk Swoop.

"You alright, darling?" she asked in a concerned manner. "You're looking deader than freshly run-over prey."

"I'm fine!" Hawk Swoop assured the older she-cat. "Dad is just taking his time."

"You sure?" Snow Hare gave her a questioning glance. "Blown Sand went out hunting at sunhigh. Expect to see him at sundown."

"Oh, okay."

"I have no clue what's going on in that tomcat's mind...urgh, he is very annoying. So rude and disrespectful. I don't know why Stoneteller accepted him back."

"Maybe it's because he's my Dad?" Hawk Swoop was confused by Snow Hare's behavior. The elderly white she-cat seem to disapprove of Blown Sand's behavior. What had he done wrong?

"No. What Stoneteller says is that it's because he's our Tribemate, and therefore we still have to welcome him back with open paws," Snow Hare explained. "but he is just a shell of his former self. Before, he used to be the most outspoken cat in the whole Tribe. He was incredibly...well, to put it bluntly, weak. He needed lots of support after he was brought into the Tribe when he was found by a hunting group one day." Hawk Swoop then recalled Shelly's tale of how Blown Sand, Dusk Shadow, and Fern Clump were found by Strong Pounce.  _So she_ was  _right!_

"He never seemed to fit in Dusk Shadow or Fern Clump. It's as if they weren't siblings at all. He was always very shy, too. It's a miracle that he managed to become mates with Rose Flower - and she's the most talkative cat in the Tribe! Except Turtle Tail, of course. Now, Blown Sand is mean and hostile toward every cat he meets. Since he feels like he is privileged because he's a tomcat, he bosses others around. Always having to be reprimanded by Stoneteller.  _Ugh._ I'm sick of it," Snow Hare then flopped down onto her nest comfortably, her round belly poking out, before going on. "I wish he would just get a grip on his life and grow up. He's acting like a kit."

"What else had he done wrong?" Hawk Swoop asked shyly.

"What I just told you sums it all up," Snow Hare snapped, but kept in mind that Rose Flower was sleeping nearby, and she could hear the pale ginger tabby's loud, obnoxious snoring, "but if you want a simple explanation, he's rude to everyone that isn't himself. Even your mother."

"B-but why?"

"He feels as if he can do whatever he wants. Some cat needs to give that tom a good talking...."

"He doesn't sound as nice he was before...." Hawk Swoop commented. "But I think he'll turn out okay."

"I hope so." Snow Hare then began stretching her legs. "I'm going to take a nap now. Either you do so, or go out and play with your friend."

"Quick Water's busy right now. She's learning more about the Tribe from Misty Water and Broken Feather. I do feel kind of sleepy, too. Thanks for the suggestion, Snow Hare!" Hawk Swoop gratefully told the older she-cat.

"Any time!" the white she-cat replied cheerfully. "I wish for your dreams to be peaceful."

"Same to you."

Hawk Swoop then curled up in her nest, where Rose Flower happened to be napping at that very moment. Luckily, Hawk Swoop and Snow Hare were talking quietly enough so that she wouldn't wake up so easily. She scooted over and lay down so that she was right next to her mother, and could feel the warmth from her belly.  _I wonder what's wrong with Dad...._ she thought sleepily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, Hawk Swoop found herself in the same place she usually ended up. The breeze was pleasant, the area was warm, and the skies were clear, the sun shining brightly. Hopefully the dream wouldn't turn out as badly as the one with Shelly. Looking around, Hawk Swoop saw no cat present. Relieved, she headed for the flowering trees with the vibrant pink flowers she adored. She looked up at the tree now, and noticed how much closer it was to her. It took her several moments to realize that she had grown.  _Wow! I've gotten so big! But I don't_ feel like  _I've grown._

She waited for a flower to fall upon her head, like what happened in her very first dream with Fish Leap, Jay's Wing, and Lapping Wave. Eventually a stronger breeze went through the area, and down one flower went down the tree. It fell like a feather, and it lightly went on top of Hawk Swoop's head. Flustered, she tried to stay as still as she could, so that the flower would stay. However, it still fell off easily, and landed right near her paws. She admired its beauty; how fine the edges of the flower were, the sheer hue of the overall colors of it....

"I see you're loving that flower, aren't you, dear?"

Hawk Swoop turned around, and saw a familiar face. Shelly was looking back at Hawk Swoop with welcoming blue eyes, and her tail was up high. She seemed to have been left unharmed by that horrifying dark thing that had sucked her in that dream a half-moon ago.

"U-uh, yeah, I like the flower," Hawk Swoop stuttered, staring at the she-cat, surprised. "Why are you asking me? Can't you see it?"

"It's best not to assume, dear...that's what happened when my group left the lake...."

"What group?"

"Oh, this all go back to my story. The group I was in was called The Cats of the Lake. We neighbored your tribe and the other one, The Dancing Fires - I know, their  _name_ sounds ridiculous," Shelly began, making sure Hawk Swoop was paying attention. "One day, some time after your tribe left, and this was not too long ago, our group had to leave because an incident caused all of the fish to go missing, and that was the only thing we ate. The leader, who was also my mate, decided that whoever wished to stay at the lake could, but would face death. It was very hard to part from him. I promised him that we would meet up again some day...but today is not that day...."

"A few other cats, including a nursing queen, as well as myself, stayed at the lake in hopes of finding anything else to eat. Unfortunately, we didn't find much, and most of us starved. In the end, I was the only one left, and with the nursing queen's kits, Fern Clump and Dusk Shadow, too. The Dancing Fires had no desire for me to join their group, as they had no room to spare in order to keep their round, fat bellies full throughout the leaf-bare. I always thought I would be in bliss, but that told me not to think that...."

"But what does this have to do with anything?"

"To teach you how not to always to assume things, dear. I'm not trying to scare you, honest!"

"Oh, okay."

"I'm trying to become friends with you, that's all. Even if I'm dead and you're not."

"I understand. That's okay. I'm friends with Fish Leap and Lapping Wave and  _maybe_ Jay's Wing, but he seems really me-"

"Jay's Wing? I thought he killed himself a second time."

"What? I remember Jay's Wing - he visited me when Misty Water was kitting!"

"Did you? Ah. Recently he went and killed himself - he couldn't take all the pressure that the cats around here wanted him to put on."

"Why?"

"He's not very stable. Didn't he nearly scare your fur off trying to recount his life?"

"Oh, yeah! It was really freaky."

"It is."

"I don't want to hear scary stories. They make me uncomfortable."

"Sometimes I don't want to hear them either, dear. If you don't want to hear one, avoid them."

"Okay. I'll take that in mind. Can we go look at the flowers and sniff them?"

"Anything you want, dear. It's a pleasure being here with you."

Together the two cats padded over to the trees - Hawk Swoop carrying the flower she was admiring earlier in her jaws - and watched them swish as the breeze came and went. Hawk Swoop dropped her flower and continued to admire it. Shelly moved over so that she could be next to Hawk Swoop, watching over her. The ginger she-kit was feeling so comfortable watching the flowers and feeling the breeze that she rested her head onto Shelly's broad shoulder. She let out several purrs as she moved her head side to side in the older she-cat's fur.

"It seems clear to me that you are very happy, am I right?" Shelly uttered.

Hawk Swoop gave a small nod back. "I like it here."

"Me too."

"Can we always be here?"

"You can always be here whenever you meet myself or one of the others."

"Okay."

Shelly and Hawk Swoop watched the flowers in the trees blow in the breeze, and Hawk Swoop looked down at her flower every one in a while. The sun was warm on their backs, and the skies were clear. Hawk Swoop knew that this was a place she would want to visit time and time again....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hawk Swoop woke up with ease compared to the last few times she had those odd dreams. The first thing she did was get up and look around to see if her father was there. All she could see was Snow Hare loudly snoring as she slept, and her mother snoozing off too.  _I guess I woke up at the wrong time_. the she-kit thought. Bored, Hawk Swoop softly padded away from her nest and peeked into Quick Water's and Misty Water's den. The two were also sleeping  - Quick Water tucked her head between her small paws,  while her mother was mumbling something in her sleep as her tail was curled around her kit - and it was clear that neither of them would wake up soon. The she-kit let out a small squeak of frustration, which luckily didn't wake them up, and headed out the den, out of the nursery, and into the Tribe's main area. Not many cats were awake at this time - cats usually become active at night, as many know - but Blown Sand and Stone Song were awake, fighting over some hare both of them had caught together. Although the elders were retired, they occasionally hunted for the Tribe when the other cats were out.

"I caught it first!" complained Stone Song, glaring at Blown Sand. "You just like taking credit for things you've never done."

"Shut up!" scowled Blown Sand, bristling his fur. "I killed it first!"

Hawk Swoop watched confusedly as the toms continued to argue about their claim onto the prey.  _Don't they know they'll wake up all of their Tribemates?!_

"Uh, excuse me, Dad, Stone Song," Hawk Swoop finally butted in the toms' argument, looking up at Blown Sand first, then Stone Song, "if one of you killed it, and one of you caught it, can't you just both take credit? You're still feeding our Tribe."

"Who says a  _kit_ will boss me around?" Blown Sand bared his teeth at his daughter, easily frightening her with his intimidating appearance, despite his small stature. "I'll teach you a lesson in a few moments. It won't be so easily forgotten."

"What kind of lesson?" Stone Song stared at Blown Sand with concerned blue eyes. "Anyways, thank you Hawk Swoop. I guess I can say that I caught it and brought it back, while Blown Sand killed it himself."

"Uh-huh," Blown Sand nodded back at the gray tabby elder and let out a grunt. "It'll be a simple lesson. This shouldn't take long."

"Sounds alright with me. I'll be taking my leave now and taking a nap so I can get my energy back for later." Stone Song then slowly padded away to the opening in the elders den, and slid under it, disappearing from view. Then Blown Sand turned to Hawk Swoop, and gave her a sinister grin.

"Come with me. I'll take you out so you can see the mountains, and then I'll teach you the lesson." he told the ginger she-kit.

"Okay, Dad." Hawk Swoop was impatient, and longed to see the outside of the mountains again, with the cloudy skies and the jagged peaks and the eagles that could be seen afar....

The two - Blown Sand leading and Hawk Swoop following - cats padded very slowly to the entrance of the cave, and into the outside of the cave. It was just as Hawk Swoop imagined in her thoughts, cloudy and filled with rocky mountains; right now it was the day - a time for no cat to be outside hunting - but Hawk Swoop didn't mind it. She twitched her tail as she sat down, ready to hear her father's lesson.

"Hmm, would you mind if you put your back against that flat rock wall? I have common sense not to teach my lessons on  _rocky_ walls." Blown Sand requested. Hawk Swoop did as told, and scooted all the way to the wall near the cave. Blown Sand requested for her to be on the part of the wall that would match his position, and she moved again.

"Now, here's a lesson I'll teach you;  _do not disagree with me!_ " the pale ginger tabby hissed. Swiftly, he landed a quick blow on Hawk Swoop's ear, and slowly backed up, his eyes appearing as if they were burning with the most intense fury Hawk Swoop had ever seen. He let out a snarl as he stuck the same ear again, this time with a harsher blow. The she-kit let out a squeal of distress as the pain seared in her ear in the spots where her father had hit her. Blood was trickling out of the spots - one on her ear's tip, and one of the side of it- Blown Sand struck, and it was clear that it would be torn up like that for life.

"S-stop!" Hawk Swoop begged for her father to stop harming her, looking up at him with pleading amber eyes. "I don't want to get hurt anymore!"

"It was  _your_ fault that you butted in and disagreed with me," Blown Sand reminded her sternly, "but I'll let you go by today. Now, put some mud on you, so my scent can be hidden."

"Why?"

"I-I don't know! Go along with it!"

"Okay!"

Hawk Swoop quickly got up sluggishly - the pain was the major hindering aspect of getting up - and found a small area of mud. She then began to roll around in it, letting out several squeals of enjoyment. Now the pains in her ear hurt a bit less, but it still felt terrible. Once she got up, she looked at her father, hoping he would be pleased. He gave her a nod of approval, and Hawk Swoop gave a twitch of her tail back.

"Okay, kit. Time to go back into the cave. I have one thing to tell you." Blown Sand said.

"What is it, Dad?" Hawk Swoop inquired.

"Never speak of this again.  _Or ELSE._ " the pale ginger tabby warned.

Hawk Swoop looked at him shyly before promising to never speak of his abuse-she didn’t know what it was, yet.  _Why did he do that to me? Mommy never hurts me...._

The two cats padded back into the cave, where Hollow Tree and Quick Water were out and awake, sharing prey together. The older she-cat was finishing her teaching on the birds and the bees to Quick Water, and she could tell that the kit seemed unnerved by the process.

"...and that, Quick Water, is how kits are made. You were made this way, you know!" Hollow Tree ended her story happily.

"Uh-huh. Very interesting." Quick Water commented blankly. "Now I know."

"Hi Quick Water, and Miss Hollow Tree!" Hawk Swoop called to the two she-cats. They turned to see the ginger she-kit, and then let out gasps of surprise.

"Friend, who hurt you?!" Quick Water squeaked. "I stop friend's pain! Friend shouldn't hurt."

"Uh...I don't know. It just...happened! Yeah, it happened!" Hawk Swoop lied. "I, uh, got attacked by an eagle, and it hurt my ear!" She looked at her father warily to see if he was pleased, and he looked back with satisfaction.

"OH. MY.  _STARS._  We need to have Stoneteller check up on you immediately!" Hollow Tree declared.

"But why?" Hawk Swoop asked.

"Most cats can't get away from an eagle and live to tell the tale!" Hollow Tree replied. "Your father lost his memory, so he doesn't count."

"Excuse m-" Blown Sand glared at the old brown-and-white tabby.

"Uh, Dad, I don't think she means it in a hateful way." Hawk Swoop pointed out.

"Do you want another lesson?" her father questioned.

Recalling the abuse - well, she wouldn't know it  _that_ way for a while - she had been given, Hawk Swoop shuddered. "Uh, no?"

"Then hush. Interrupting will get you nowhere, Hawk Swoop." Blown Sand told her coldly.

"Okay...can I go play with Quick Water now?" she asked in a rather polite fashion.

"Sure, sure, I don't care. As long as you don't tell them." Blown Sand permitted her.

"Yay!" Hawk Swoop looked back warmly at her friend. "Now we can talk about what will happen when I become a softpaw!"

"Yeah!" Quick Water squealed happily. "Softpaws are fun!"

Cheerfully the two she-kits bounded away back into the nursery hollows to discuss about their expectations privately. However, Hawk Swoop would never forget about what her father had done to her, and still bitterly recalled what he said: _"It was your fault....!"_ \- the words were a bit faded after hearing them briefly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some time later in the day, when the sun was about to go down, and when more cats were out, Stoneteller checked up on Hawk Swoop's injury, and declared it an attack by eagle. Now she was resting in the nursery with the poultice applied to her ear. Although it would always be nicked, it wouldn't hurt once the herbs began working.

 _Am I a good cat?_ Hawk Swoop thought, drifting her gaze to Snow Hare, then to Rose Flower, then to Snow Hare again.  _I hope I didn't do anything wrong. What is my fault? I didn't hurt anyone. Why did Dad hurt me? Why is he so angry? Why is he not shy anymore? Why is he so mean?_ The questions spiraled in Hawk Swoop's head, and she felt confused. How could she solve her problems with her abusive father? How would she learn the things he was doing were wrong? Why couldn't she tell? Why not to Quick Water? She wouldn't tell anyone.

Feeling tired, Hawk Swoop drifted off to sleep, still unsettled by her father's treatment of her earlier.  _I don't like the new Dad._  she thought to herself.  _I want the old Dad back. I miss him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stoneteller's decision is really going to bite her in the butt some time. I swear. And Blown Sand won't get away with this.


	12. Chapter 10

Hawk Swoop twitched her tail-tip impatiently. Snow Hare had kitted Jackdaw's Cry and Falling Feather a half-moon ago, and they still hadn't opened their eyes. The ginger tabby she-cat had waited one more moon, and now she was to become a softpaw, once Stoneteller had the ceremony ready - which wouldn't be long, since her father had planned this.  _Golly! I'm going to learn to become a sharpclaw!_ she thought excitedly. Sadly, Quick Water would have to wait some time, as she was only two moons old, making her four moons younger than Hawk Swoop. Then Hawk Swoop realized that she would be hanging out with all of those older softpaws, too. Rainswept Flower, Gray Wing, Shattered Ice, Clear Sky, Bright Stream, Twisted Branch - all of them could help Hawk Swoop get around as a softpaw. After all, the classic ginger tabby was used to being a kit for so long, and she could use some help adjusting to a life without sitting next to her mother every day.

Then again, she did know that she would probably get another beating from her father if she complained about the long wait. Hawk Swoop despised how her father treated her when she didn't conform to his standards. Sometimes, he would bring out his young daughter with his mate, and Hawk Swoop would have to watch unbearably as her mother was attacked by her father due to not following the same standards she was pressured into following. As much as they wanted to speak out against it, they were under Blown Sand's rules, and therefore ones Stoneteller had agreed to. When Hawk Swoop had seen Stoneteller agree, however, there was some sort of anxiety in the older cat's eyes....

It only took a few heartbeats before Stoneteller padded out slowly from the entrance to the Cave of the Pointed Stones. The elderly white she-cat appeared frail in contrast to the somewhat-plumpness of her Tribemates, but her green eyes were still filled with some of the deepest hues Hawk Swoop could imagine.

"Hawk Swoop, come here, please," she commanded. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Okay." The ginger she-cat bounded over to where Stoneteller was sitting. She could easily see the older cat's bony, aged haunches showing out from her loosely hanging white pelt.

"Listen...when Blown Sand and I were discussing the new adjustments he would make, I made a terrible mistake," she began. "I allowed him to take advantage of me. I didn't know how, and I never intended too...he threatened to kill me if he didn't get his way."

Hawk Swoop stared at the older cat, wide-eyed in shock. "Why?"

"He wanted everything to go according to however he felt. He gave me the three rules, which your mother told you; that you must obey every command he gives unless unreasonable, that you must conform to his opinions, and that if he acts up terribly, he will be thrown out of the Tribe."

"I know that. My mom told me."

"So she did? Very well. Anyways, I quickly realized that this could become problematic. He could start taking advantage of not just you, but Turtle Tail and her sisters, since they are his children as well. Has he done anything hurtful towards you?"

 _Hurtful_. Stoneteller's words made Hawk Swoop flinch. Her father told her not to tell any cat about what she endured every time she disobeyed him, and Stoneteller would be no exception. "Uh, no. He has done nothing wrong to me."

"Nothing? Hawk Swoop, don't lie to me. Are you being serious?" The older white cat's eyes were filled with concern. "Rose Flower has reported something terrible from him, so I'm wondering if he has done anything to you."

"Wait, what did she tell you?"

"It is confidential. I cannot tell you."

"Okay. I understand."

"Now, tell me what Blown Sand has done to you."

"He, uh...he's hurt me a couple of times. See my ear?" Hawk Swoop tilted her head so that her tattered ear could be easily seen by Stoneteller. "He did that to my ear because I butted in when he was arguing with Stone Song."

"What?!"

"I'm not kidding, Stoneteller. He did that to me because I told him that they could both give each other credit for catching some prey."

"That's ridiculous! How could he do such a thing?"

"I don't know. Are you going to do something abo-"

"Oh, hello."

Blown Sand was padding closer toward the two she-cats, glancing at them with slanted pale eyes, as if he was trying to lure them. His light ginger ears with flattened, and his back was arched, fur bristling.  _I hope he didn't catch any of our conversation...._

"So, what are you two talking about?" Blown Sand hissed. "Surely you are not telling Stoneteller?"

"Telling Stoneteller what?" Hawk Swoop inquired.

"About, you know! I'm not going to say it!" Blown Sand specified.

Hawk Swoop nervously glanced at Stoneteller before looking back at her father. "Uh, no."

The pale ginger tom looked at her with a pleased gaze. "Very well then. Stoneteller, are you to-"

"I'll start it when I  _start it_. Be patient." the white she-cat snapped at Blown Sand.

Blown Sand looked down at Hawk Swoop, and the two padded away toward the center of the cave. Several moments passed before Stoneteller's elderly white shape came into view again, and they watched as she leaped onto the large boulder where she would often make important announcements and such. Then, Blown Sand called to the other cats, "Let all cats be silent! Stoneteller will speak! Come gather around and listen to what she has to say!"

Multiple cats began to pad over and gather around. Gray Wing rested his head onto Turtle Tail's shoulder; she was bigger than him, and he had selected her to be the cat he would trust most as a softpaw due to her kind nature. Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots sat together, whispering about the herbs they had found in the valley. Shaded Moss, Hollow Tree, and Stone Song all gathered together in a group. Broken Feather - who appeared more frail than usual - made room for his mate, Misty Water, to go through. It wasn't long before nearly every cat in the Tribe was present. 

"As you all know, Hawk Swoop has now reached the age of six moons," Stoneteller began. Hawk Swoop could see Quick Water fidgeting about nearby. "This means she will now become a softpaw. Hawk Swoop, come up, please."

The ginger cat padded up to the boulder where Stoneteller was sitting on, and looked up. "Hawk Swoop, you are now one of the softpaws. Now, you are allowed to select  _one_ older cat who you will look up to and will learn from most of them time. You cannot choose your family."

Hawk Swoop looked around to see all of her Tribemates - except Falling Feather, Snow Hare, and Jackdaw's Cry, who were still in the nursery, of course - and tried to decide who she would pick. She obviously couldn't pick her mother, father, Turtle Tail, Dewy Leaf, or Dappled Pelt, since they were family. Eventually her gaze landed on Dusk Shadow, Tall Shadow's and Moon Shadow's mother. The black she-cat looked back hesitantly, but quickly got up.

"So, you wish to pick Dusk Shadow as the cat you will look up to for guidance?" Stoneteller asked.

Hawk Swoop looked back at the older black she-cat before she faced Stoneteller. "Yep!" she quickly replied.

"Very well then. Hawk Swoop, although you may speak to the other cats time-to-time to get some training and advice, you will be primarily guided by Dusk Shadow," Stoneteller finished. "May you two find success in your training together!"

"Hawk Swoop! Hawk Swoop!" The ginger she-cat's Tribemates were chanting her very name as she touched noses with Dusk Shadow. The loudest of them all was Quick Water's; the dark gray-and-white she-kit was bouncing up and down in excitement as she repeated the name of her friend.  _Heehee, I feel so special!_

Soon Stoneteller leaped off the boulder, and one by one Hawk Swoop's fellow Tribe cats went off to do their own activities. Before she got to go off with Dusk Shadow, however, Rose Flower, Quick Water, and Blown Sand all came up to her.

"I'm so proud of you. You'll be a sharpclaw before you know it, little snow hare!" Rose Flower complimented her daughter, tail up high.

"I'm sure you'll do great," Blown Sand snorted.

Quick Water pushed past Hawk Swoop's parents, and leaped onto the ginger she-cat. Now she had learned to speak in somewhat complete sentences. "You just wait! I'll be with you one day! You'll see!" the gray-and-white she-kit squeaked. Hawk Swoop let out a  _mrrow_ of amusement as she grabbed Quick Water by the scruff of her neck with her jaws, and set her down gently.

"Oh, yes I will. But I don't know how long we'll get to be together....I'm afraid we'll only get to be the same den for a moon, or something." Hawk Swoop replied, drooping her head.

"But that's okay! At least we get some time together, right?!" Quick Water pointed out, flicking her tail.

"Yeah, but not enough. I mean, you're stuck in the nursery, for stars' sake! With your mother, too. I don't think she'd be happy with you bothering the other softpaws."

"Bu-"

"I don't think she'd want to lose another kit. Best to not to go where you shouldn't," Hawk Swoop sighed. She still remembered Misty Water's kitting, and how only Quick Water had survived birth. Shattered Ice was her only other living kit, but he was close to becoming a sharpclaw.

"Oh. Okay...." Quick Water frowned, and turned around, stomping off toward the nursery. 

"No, wait!" Hawk Swoop called after the young kit, but it was too late. The ginger cat hoped that her friend got the message that she was still welcome, but not in the softpaws' den. By the time Hawk Swoop looked back, her parents had already left.  _So I get to meet Dusk Shadow now! Sweet!_

The ginger tabby she-cat looked both ways - she had to wait for Twisted Branch and Fern Clump to pass by - and then headed for the sharpclaws' den. It was a small hole at first sight, but once Hawk Swoop slid under it, it revealed an expanse of nests, so many that some were empty. There was moss throughout the den - it crept down from one cat's den to another's, it covered the whole floor, and it even had made its way through some of the nests. A few small patches of lamb's ear and ragweed could be see toward the corners of the den, where a small hole high up in the wall allowed sunlight and the occasional rainfall to fall through. In the den Hawk Swoop could see many cats; Sharp Hail, who was normally in the elders' den, was with Quiet Rain, and although he was hidden in the moss, he was on top of Quiet Rain for some reason that Hawk Swoop didn't want to know. Fern Clump was busily grooming Cloud Spots's fur, making each stroke she made go with the flow of his long fur. Shaded Moss was discussing with Dewy Leaf about ways to manage her anger while dealing with a relationship with Moon Shadow.

Then Turtle Tail leaped down from a nest high above, and came to greet Hawk Swoop. "Hey, little sister! What are you here for?"

"I need to find Dusk Shadow," she replied. "She's the cat I'm supposed to be guided by."

"Oh, cool! I chose Dusk Shadow, too! She's such an understanding cat, if you just give her a chance. Not many cats are patient with her because she jumps from subjects too easily. But she knows a lot on many subjects," Turtle Tail explained, her words seeming as if they were jumbled up into a single sentence, then sliced to bits by a hawk so that it became a legible, comprehensible sentence again. "I think you'll like her."

"Who said my name?"

Dusk Shadow slid under the opening of the den, and padded over to the two she-cats. "It must have been one of you, right?"

Turtle Tail and Hawk Swoop glanced at each other before Turtle Tail replied. "It was both of us, actually."

"Why are you talking about me?" Dusk Shadow asked them warily. "Are you trying to spread rumors?"

"No. We're just talking about what a great cat you are, silly!" Turtle Tail gently poked at the black she-cat. "Nothing negative."

"Oh, o-okay then," she muttered. "Hawk Swoop, you are supposed to be outside, remember?"

"Right. I was just looking for you, Dusk Shadow." Hawk Swoop commented.

"Were you?" the black cat questioned. "Either way, it's best if we get outside, so we can start training. Come with me, Hawk Swoop."

Dusk Shadow slid out of the den, leading the way. Hawk Swoop quickly let out a noise that signified that she would be leaving, and left the den in the same manner as Dusk Shadow. She quickly caught up to her guiding cat - the black she-cat wasn't particularly quick, mostly due to her short legs. The two cats went outside, where they would begin training together. The last time Hawk Swoop had went outside, she had been hurt by her father. Now, she was learning how to fend for herself.

**** The ginger classic tabby she-cat sat down as she waited for Dusk Shadow to catch up. The she-cat was clearly worn out by the amount of toil just from walking. Then again, her Tribemates often joked about how unfit she was compared to their slim, lean frames, so it wasn’t very surprising to Hawk Swoop. In fact, it might be the reason why Dusk Shadow asked if she was spreading rumors with Turtle Tail in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter pretty much concludes the adventures of Hawk Swoop's kithood!
> 
> We are now onto her softpaw (and member) journey; where she goes through her stages of adolescence, cat-puberty, discovers her sexuality, gets closer to Quick Water (and Jackdaw's Cry, of course), and changes the course of her life forever.
> 
> Don't worry. One day, Blown Sand will be punished. Just wait and see.


	13. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this fic is still alive. Sorry for the very long, unneeded wait! I'll make sure that doesn't happen next time.

Hawk Swoop watched as Dusk Shadow finally caught up to the younger ginger she-cat. "You're faster than me! Goodness!" the black she-cat remarked.

"You need to go out more," Hawk Swoop commented.

"I'd suppose so," the other cat muttered. "but now I need to start some training with you."

Hawk Swoop nodded her head as she waited for Dusk Shadow's directions.

"Okay, first of all, has your mother or father ever taught you about how to hunt prey?" she inquired.

The ginger she-cat shook her head.

 "Why?"

"She just, uh, never took the time to do that? I don't know!"

"Either way, I'll be providing you an in-depth look on how you hunt, so that you too can catch the things that land onto the fresh-kill pile," Dusk Shadow then looked awkwardly at the younger ginger cat. "Did that sound weird? I'm pretty sure it did."

"No?"

"Okay then," Dusk Shadow went on. "So, the first basic step of hunting is that you crouch down. Try demonstrating that to me."

Hawk Swoop did as told, and the other cat padded over to inspect her.

"Not too shabby for a first-timer!" she complimented. "Next, try creeping up onto something." Dusk Shadow turned around so that her body was facing a small rock several tail-lengths away from Hawk Swoop. "Maybe you can try it on that?"

The ginger tabby softpaw slowly padded over to the small rock, while trying to keep her crouched figure. She attempted to make her pawsteps as quiet as possible, in order to not attract much attention from any prey in the area that hadn't ran off already.

"I can see that you're doing in the most stealthy way you can," Dusk Shadow pointed out, "which is incredibly useful in cases like these. Now, do you scent anything in the air?"

Hawk Swoop checked. There was a strong scent of mouse from where she was at.  _Maybe I'll-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the older cat's words. "So, did you find something?"

"Mouse."

"Not surprised. For some reason, there's been more coming up and up lately. I mean, cold season doesn't come around for another six moons, so I don't understand exactly why they're popping up everywhere."

"Maybe the mountains have prey for them?"

"Prey! Mice don't eat prey. They eat grass and herbs and just about anything not living or a rock. Didn't your mother tell you that?"

"Uh, no?"

"Well, now you know," Dusk Shadow lowered her voice. "But shouldn't you be focused on catching that mouse?"

"Oh, right." Hawk Swoop turned her head away from the sharpclaw and focused on padding toward the prey animal in the quietest manner she could manage.  _How hasn't it not moved yet? Wouldn't it be surprised by all of this noise?_

Then she noticed a small head raising itself above the rock, and it didn't even take a heartbeat for her to figure out what it was.  _Snake!_ Surprised, the ginger she-cat leaped onto it and tried biting into its neck. She'd seen other sharpclaws do the same when they were finishing off their prey.

"Hawk Swoop! That was excellent!" Dusk Shadow padded over to where Hawk Swoop was. She took a good look at the snake before adding on. "How didn't you scent the snake?"

"Well, I think it must have eaten some mouse - which is how I managed to scent one and all. I thought it would kill me, like my mother said!"

"They don't always kill you. Some aren't venomo-"

"One killed one of Lion's Roar's sister when she was a kit! He told me!"

"Well, that one was, but this one isn't. Do you understand that?"

"I guess so."

"Now, let's bring it back to our Tribemates. I'm sure they'll be impressed at your catch. The next time we go out here, I'll be teaching you some more skills to improve your hunting," Dusk Shadow said, and picked up the snake with her jaws. "How did you know how to pounce and bite its neck at that moment?"

"I remember watching Sharp Hail do that once, except it was on this really big hawk in the air!"

"Oh, did you? I'm pretty sure he would whisk you away the moment he saw you!"

"I made sure he didn't see me."

"Whatever you say, then." Dusk Shadow led the way back into the cave, Hawk Swoop at her heels. When they entered, a few cats noticed the snake dangling from Dusk Shadow's jaws, and gasped in surprise.

"Who caught that snake?" Sharp Hail asked, eyes wide.

"That was Hawk Swoop's catch. She got lucky and managed to kill it before it could even bite," Dusk Shadow explained. "One day, I think she'll be a hunting prodigy!"

"By then, I'd think prey would be thinking twice before going out, in case if they ever do find you!" Lion's Roar joked. In amusement, Sharp Hail flicked his tail tip and let out a  _mrrow_ of laughter.

"I don't know about that. Maybe not all the prey will know about her! Then their deaths will be a surprise!" Misty Water commented, flicking her fluffy gray tail. She hadn't made a joke in moons, which surprised Hawk Swoop.

"Yeah! What my mum said!" Quick Water, who was hiding in the elderly queen's fur, burst out to meet Hawk Swoop. "You'll be the best hunter  _ever_! Then no sharpclaw will compete with you!"

"Except Tall Shadow, at night. No cat can outmatch her grace and agility." Hollow Tree pointed out.

"Plus, Hawk Swoop's a newly-made softpaw. She's okay, I guess, but she won't be  _great_ until she has more training," Shattered Ice sneered. "Every cat knows I'm waaay better than her."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Misty Water glared at her older son. "Can't you just compliment her for what good she did?"

"But she's a she-cat! They don't hunt as good as toms - well, that's what Moon Shadow told me." he replied back.

"When did Stoneteller die and make that fool leader?" the older gray cat retorted. "Shattered Ice, apologize to not just Hawk Swoop, but to all of the cats here for saying such untrue things."

The gray-and-white tom rolled his eyes before doing so. "I'm sorry to Hawk Swoop because I didn't say good things about her hunting, and I'm sorry to the rest of you lot because I said a thing that isn't true."

The elders nodded their heads in approval. Dusk Shadow then added in, "Anything else you want to say?"

"Uhh...Hawk Swoop will be a good hunter?" Shattered Ice then bounded off to the softpaws' den in embarrassment. 

"Oh, that little tom," Broken Feather meowed. "Always getting himself into situations like these. He may be brilliant at coming up with new ideas, but he needs have manners."

"You said it better than I could." Hollow Tree purred. 

"I'm sure Hawk Swoop will be a far...uh, I mean, as good as her father." Sharp Hail commented - it seemed as if he was to say something else at first, but when he noticed Blown Sand coming over, he quickly changed his mind.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? My daughter has caught a snake, am I not right?" the pale ginger tabby snorted.

"Yeah - and she'll be  _way_ better than you!" Quick Water squeaked. 

Blown Sand gave the gray-and-white she-kit a cold glare, before he swiped at one of her ears. He then leaped, but she managed to bound away in time, squealing in pain.

"What are you doing?" Lion's Roar hissed. Misty Water, Dusk Shadow, and Sharp Hail all blocked Blown Sand's path. Broken Feather, Hollow Tree, and Lion's Roar surrounded behind him.

"How dare you!" Misty Water slashed at the tom's face furiously. "You do not harm my kit! I will not lose another!"

"She spoke of me lowly. No cat is on my level." Blown Sand boasted. "Therefore, no cat can insult me or my skills."

" _WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT **HARMING** OTHER CATS?_" _  
_

Stoneteller was stalking over to where the fight had happened. Her fur was bristling, her ears were flat, and she bore out her jaws. The other cats scrambled away except for Misty Water, Hawk Swoop, Blown Sand - who was trying to get away but couldn't, and Quick Water, who was being licked by her mother.

"I didn't harm any cat!" the sharpclaw lied.

"Then what was that about, going on over here?" she demanded.

"He hurt me! My ear is bleeding!" Quick Water complained.

"You're lying, then! How dare you! Not only have you hurt one of your Tribemates, but a kit, at that!" Stoneteller hissed. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"She deserved it. She said that my own daughter's hunting skills were better than my own." Blown Sand snarled. 

"And? Do you think  _an ear nick_ is a deserving punishment for _complimenting_ a younger cat?"

Blown Sand remained silent.

"Blown Sand, this makes my heart heavy to say this, but it is my duty, and you have betrayed not just my trust, but every cat's trust," the elderly white she-cat began. "You are now banished from this Tribe as a result of failing to keep with the rules we agreed with. You may never return. Go, and leave as far as you can go. Leave us in peace, for we can not let a cat with malicious intentions to go unpunished and hurt other cats-  _even your own mate and daughter._ " _  
_

Several of Hawk Swoop's Tribemates looked stunned. Rose Flower came up and confessed of Blown Sand's actions toward her - how he, like with Hawk Swoop, had attacked her multiple times while out of the cave because she wasn't doing what he wanted.

"I'm going to have his kits, as that was decided before he started doing this," she concluded, "but they won't have their nasty father's influences."

Her Tribemates, apart from a few of them giving the cat next to them some glances, said nothing.

"Now," Stoneteller glared at Blown Sand, "you  _go_. _NOW_."

Blown Sand hung his head low, and quietly padded to the entrance of the cave. Before he exited, he turned his head back to Rose Flower and Hawk Swoop.

"You two!" he hissed. "This will not be the end. Remember this: With every paw step you take, I will be watching you. Always. I will follow wherever you go. Keep your ears pricked and eyes alert, because once I find you again, you do not know what I will do to you. I curse you and the rest of your family, so that they will be forgotten easily as time passes." Then he went through the cave entrance, and finally left.

"I guess you don't have a father anymore...." Quick Water muttered.

"I guess I don't. And now, I'm really scared of going out." Hawk Swoop didn't know what her father had planned in mind. Was he that determined to ruin the lives of his mate and daughter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Blown Sand got his behind kicked. Is there a chance of seeing him again? Wait and see.


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! 
> 
> Did beebs get inspired by Watership Down? Oh yes, she did. So much that the majority of the chapter is a story.

Hawk Swoop padded by the elders' den, noticing Falling Feather and Jackdaw's Cry listening to a story. She needed something to put off what her father did a half-moon ago, that caused him to leave the Tribe for good. She hadn't seen him since, but she kept his warning in mind. He could attack her at any given time, so she had to always be wary. Now, she was curious as to what the two younger kits were listening to, so she went inside to see. It turned out to be Sharp Hail telling one of his many stories - it seemed to be the story of Dawn River and the Wary Eagle again. Dawn River was a sharpclaw who was once in the Tribe, and was revered for her ability to outsmart just about every predator around. Such ability was so envied that she eventually ended up becoming a legend after she died soon after Stoneteller became healer, and the details of her deeds were blurred until they became a tale.

"Dawn River knew the Wary Eagle would find her eventually. He was the greatest eagle known throughout the land, and could find any cat even without looking closely at what was below him. He had taken one cat too many, and planned for Dawn River to be his next. A plump adult cat always made a good dinner for someone of his type, and he didn't mind killing her and saving her for his next meal, either. But Dawn River wouldn't let him do that so easily. She was favored by many, even the cat who ruled above themself, and she knew that dying would hurt everything around. Dawn River had to devise a plan before the Wary Eagle could strike again," He was already into the heart of the story, too. "Eventually she came up with something to make sure he left the Tribe for good; by finding something that could mimic some prey that an eagle would eat, and watch as his mouth would bleed as he tried to carry it off. But how would be able to find something like that?

"So one day Dawn River went out hunting, and caught the plumpest rabbit any Tribe cat had ever seen. She went and offered it to the cat who ruled above - the one cat who knew everything and anything, who had reigned supreme over the stars above, the one who knew every omen and prophecy to come, and the one who had seen the first sunrise of the world. This cat was rumored to have even created the world themself, but that is just something that only few believe in.

"Anyways, after she had offered the rabbit in order to seek guidance, the celestial cat arrived. They were perhaps the most horrible yet beautiful thing any cat could lay their eyes upon. Apart from the few tufts of fur on their spine, they were completely hairless. Their body was scarred, lumpy, sagging, and bulging, and their eyes...oh, their eyes. Their eyes were egg-like, large, and blind; nothing could be seen by that pale gray gaze. It was clear that nothing was meant to see the terrible thing that was the celestial one. They looked down upon young Dawn River, and although they could not see her, they easily knew of their presence. The great one said to her, 'Oh, pitiful cat, this is not needed. This kill was worthless; you have wasted a perfectly good life just to persuade me to come help you.' And then Dawn River scornfully said, 'But this was my sacrifice to you, O great one. This wasn't worthless in the slightest.' The great one only snorted in disgust, before telling Dawn River that they would offer their aid to her as long as she didn't bother them again afterwards.

"Then the two - celestial cat and living cat - went off the rockiest peak of them all, that towered above the others and made them tiny in comparison." (Quick Water came in to listen too, and the three kits were mesmerized by the tale.) "They gathered some rocks, to make them the shape of a cat's body, and a scorched stick the color of my own pelt, for its tail. They added two small pebbles for its ears, and a rather pretty rock for its eyes. The great one agreed to watch over Dawn River, and to see if her plan would work. If not, they would have to think of another one.

"The Wary Eagle was now set on catching Dawn River, as it knew she was brewing some sort of disaster for him. 'O, petty cat, show me your fur!' he would call as he circled the skies. Meanwhile, Dawn River lay in wait, and hearing his call, grabbed some moss with her mouth, and hastily threw it onto the mock-cat she had made with the celestial one. The Wary Eagle was drawn to it, and began to change his direction toward it. 'There you are! I have found you, my next meal! Now I don't have to go out later on! How convenient.' he declared with such great joy. 

"But he didn't know what Dawn River had exactly in mind for him, and so when he swooped down to have the mock-cat in his beak, instead of tasting flesh, he was only met with the bitter taste of rocks. He began to cough terribly, and jerked about in mid-air, allowing Dawn River to make her move. She leaped into the air, pinned down the Wary Eagle, and with the greatest strength any cat could muster, bit into his neck hard. A couple of heartbeats passed before she could declare him dead. When that happened, she was very satisfied; the great destroyer was gone, and he was now a meal to the Tribe. Grateful to the celestial one, she called to them, saying, 'Thank you, O great one! I couldn't have done this without you.' But the ruler of the skies was gone, nowhere to be seen. She didn't mind however, as she thought they had received the message. So the tortoiseshell she-cat went home, and the Tribe had the greatest feast they ever had. They declared her a hero, and to this day we still pass on her tale from elder to kit." Sharp Hail concluded. "One day, you'll be sharing this story to kits, too!"

Falling Feather stared at him, wide-eyed. "That was awesome! I want to be like Dawn River one day! She's so cool, tricking that eagle and all." she exclaimed. She clearly learned how to speak better than any cat in the Tribe.

"Yeah! Me want to do that too!" Jackdaw's Cry put in, twitching his white-tipped black tail. "Me want to hunt good like River cat!"

"Maybe Hawk Swoop will be like Dawn River, tricking hawks and eagles and stuff. I think she could do that." Quick Water suggested, and Hawk Swoop playfully flicked her tail at her in response.

"At this rate, that might be true, but you never know what will happen! Always remember that, kits, and life will be full of surprises," Sharp Hail replied to them all, winking an eye. "Now leave me in peace. Telling all of that in one sitting? That was exhausting. I need some rest." The dark gray tom then flopped on his side, and closed his eyes.  _He must be really tired, obviously._ Hawk Swoop thought.

"Hawk Swoop, can you take us out now? Pleaaaase?" Falling Feather looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I don't want to walk any more."

"Sorry Falling Feather, but I can't do that right now. I got to go train with Dusk Shadow right after I eat - I promised her that - and I can't let you get in the wa-"

But Quick Water interrupted her. "Come on, it's just leading us out of the elders' den. How hard can that  _be_?" she pointed out.

The ginger tabby she-cat then signed. "Okay guys, you got me. I'll lead you out, but don't bother me again, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Me be good!"

"Yay!"

The kits bounced excitedly up-and-down as Hawk Swoop left the elders' den, and they followed her. A few cats stopped to watch them in amusement.

"Looks like we got some cat leading some prey to the prey heap!" Lion's Roar joked. "I can't wait to have my next meal!"

"No!" Falling Feather squeaked. "I don't want to be eaten!" 

"He's just  _kidding_ , you flea-brain. No way Stoneteller would let another of the likes of the Wary Eagle in the Tribe." Quick Water snapped. "I don't think cats eat kits, either...do they?"

The thought of the subject made all four cats silent, eyes wide in horror. Hawk Swoop couldn't imagine a queen eating her kits, not _ever_. The mere idea of it was horrible enough. She then looked back at the dark gray-and-white kit, and replied in an irritated manner, "What made you think of  _that_?"

"Well, Moon Shadow was telling me this thing the other day...." Quick Water confessed.

"Moon Shady don't know nothing!" Jackdaw's Cry hissed. "Moon Shady is not smart!"

"I got to agree with Jackdaw's Cry here. Moon Shadow is the most flea-brained cat ever. He's probably just trying to scare you." Hawk Swoop remarked. "But what does he know? What do _I_ know? It...could happen, but I don't know what would make a cat do that."

Almost at once, Falling Feather and Jackdaw's Cry darted away for their mother, Snow Hare, terrified. The white queen happened to be near the fresh-kill pile, and was surprised to see her two kits bury themselves into her long, fluffy fur.

"Let me guess, Lion's Roar scared you again?" she chuckled. "There there. I'll bring you back into my nest. You won't have to hear that flea-brain for the rest of the day, okay?"

They nodded rather subtly, and Snow Hare left to go to the nursery hollows with her two kits.

"They're a bunch of scaredy-mice, that's what!" Quick Water spat, fluffing up her fur. "They don't know how hard life is."

"Quick Water, they're only a  _moon_ old," Hawk Swoop rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to take away their innocence  _this_ early?"

"No cat is innocent for long!" she declared, looking up at the ginger she-cat with admiring copper-blue - they were going from kitten-blue to copper already - eyes. "We all experience some pretty scary stuff at some point." She then twitched her injured ear, the one Blown Sand had nicked the day he left the Tribe.

"Right...let's not talk about that, okay?" the young softpaw suggested. "How about we talk of some good hunting as we eat?"

"Okay!" The gray-and-white she-cat continued to follow Hawk Swoop until they reached the prey heap. There wasn't much today, but there was a rabbit, which would be enough for Hawk Swoop and Quick Water. The former grabbed it with her jaws, and brought it over to where the young she-kit was sitting.

"So, how was your day?" Hawk Swoop began, taking a mouthful of the rabbit in, and enjoying the juicy flavor of the prey animal.

"Uh...well, first I got in trouble with Hollow Tree because I kept on yapping, and then I played around before Rose Flower had to get me out of the sharpclaws' dens, which made me go into the elders' den _again_ to listen to Sharp Hail's story. You?" Quick Water said quickly, so quickly that it was hard for Hawk Swoop to follow on.

"I got some more hunting done with Dusk Shadow, nothing much." Hawk Swoop replied. 

"Well, it's good to hear that!" Quick Water squeaked. "I want to do some of that, but Misty Water says I can't."

"Oh well. Wait a few more moons, and see if you can do them. You know, when you become a softpaw?"

"But by then you'll be a sharpclaw!"

"I'll be able to teach you stuff, remember that."

"Oh, rig-"

Their conversation was cut off when Stoneteller called for Hawk Swoop. The ginger tabby finished off her share of the rabbit, and then went over to the elderly white she-cat.

"Hawk Swoop, after some consideration, I have decided to have you join a hunting party with Shattered Ice, Tall Shadow, Fern Clump, Dappled Pelt, Dewy Leaf, and Shaded Moss. Dusk Shadow has given her approval, and I know that you will do well on this."

"O-Of course!" Hawk Swoop replied nervously. This was the first hunting group she had been to, and she didn't know what it was like. Nervous, she slunk away to join the group, waiting for further directions from Fern Clump, the party's leader. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i kind of apologize for
> 
> 1) lack of updates
> 
> 2) these author notes
> 
> 3) how this chapter was mainly a story


	15. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait. I've been having a bit of a writer's block, you see.

Fern Clump was busy speaking with Shaded Moss, so Hawk Swoop had to wait before they were done talking. Shattered Ice was waiting impatiently, slumping his body beside Dewy Leaf's, which easily made the she-cat flatten her ears, and bare her teeth into a snarl. Dusk Shadow was standing beside her daughter, Tall Shadow, looking proudly at her. Dappled Pelt was sitting down, not noticing any of the commotion going on beside her.

Fern Clump exchanged a few quick words for Dusk Shadow before she went on her way; she had other things to do, much to Hawk Swoop's dismay. She could use some of her mentor's guidance during the hunt - it was her first one, after all.

"Are we going now?" complained Shattered Ice. "You're taking too long."

"Hush, you," Dewy Leaf snapped. "We'll let Fern Clump take as much time as she needs."

Shattered Ice gave her a disgruntled face, but didn't dare to snap back at her.

Meanwhile, Dappled Pelt was trying to speak with Tall Shadow, but clearly, the black she-cat didn't care about what herbs she had found yesterday.

"There was the chamomile, which Stoneteller told me that-" the tortoiseshell she-cat was rambling on and on.

"Mmhmm, mhmm," nodded Tall Shadow, trying to acknowledge what Dappled Pelt was saying so she wouldn't hurt her feelings.

Then Fern Clump turned around, eyes focused on her group. "Okay, everyone, I'm done talking. Are we all ready to leave?"

"Yep!" answered all of them at once. A moment afterwards, they looked at each other awkwardly. None of them expected to say it all at once. 

"Alrighty!" cheerfully responded the tortoiseshell she-cat. "Let's go!"

One by one, the mountain cats followed behind Fern Clump as she led them out of the cave, and into the mountainside. It seemed as if everything started to get colder around - but then again, since the mountains were so high up, of course they'd be a bit chilly...right? Hawk Swoop noticed Shattered Ice shivering - an action rather odd for him. He was always determined to make himself look stronger than the others, so he would normally be going through without any hesitation.

"Hawk Swoop, Shattered Ice here can explain to you how one of these go, okay?" Fern Clump gave the young softpaw a heads up as she and Dewy Leaf headed for a crag on the far side. 

 She could only return a sigh. Shattered Ice was pretty annoying, but he was older than her, and thus more experienced. No wonder why she'd have to listen to his advice; he  _knew_ more.

The gray-and-white tom turned to her, and began, without warning, "So, the first thing to know about the hunting party is that you got to use what you know."

"Like I didn't already know," Hawk Swoop snorted. "I could've figured that one on my own, thanks."

"Sheesh, you don't have to be  _rude_ about it!" he snapped. "Anyways, you also need to make sure to stay with the group. Remember Lapping Wave?"

Hawk Swoop gulped as she remembered the elder's death when he went out hunting. No way in dreamplace would she want to end up as eaglefood.

"G-got it." she stuttered.

"Next, you need to try and contribute. No cat would be pleased by a cat who lazes around all day." Shattered Ice went on.

Hawk Swoop rolled her eyes at the gray-and-white tom. What was he thinking? He seemed too full of himself to give any noteworthy advice at all.

"I'm going to go find Shaded Moss," the ginger cat decided. "You're being too annoying."

"Excuse me, but clearly you haven't spent more than three moons training as a softpaw," he sneered, "because I have more experience than you."

"Whatever." Slowly, the ginger she-cat headed toward the black-and-white tom who was currently with Dappled Pelt.

"Oh, hi, Hawk Swoop." Dappled Pelt greeted as her half-sister approached. Neither of them forgot that they were related because of...him.

"What seems to be the problem?" Shaded Moss tilted his head. "I thought you were to be with Shattered Ice, correct?"

"He's not giving me any good advice, so I decided to come to you two," Hawk Swoop explained. "I mean, you're older than me, so of course you'd know more."

"So you decided to go against Fern Clump's advice?" Dappled Pelt asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, if you want to put it that way." Hawk Swoop replied.

Suddenly a loud pained yowl came from afar, coming from near the crag on the far side. 

Dewy Leaf then darted around the crag and headed toward the group of four cats, paws slipping a bit. She flopped down onto the ground, panting heavily. At last she looked up at the remaining cats.

"Tall Shadow found Fern Clump's body! She's dead!" the smoky tortoiseshell cried out.

All four cats looked stunned.

"C-come follow me! Quick! Tall Shadow found the body." Dewy Leaf hurriedly added, and dashed back around the crag. The four cats followed her closely behind, desperate to know about their hunting party's fallen leader.

"What happened to her?" Dappled Pelt asked as she was running.

"Tall Shadow found her with a slit in her throat. It's pretty nasty. Neither of us know who did it, either!" the tortoiseshell explained. "Worst of all, we found her dead! We don't know where she went, or what happened to her!"

"When did you last see her?" Shaded Moss asked. "Weren't you two hunting together?"

"W-We decided to split up. Thought it'd be easier to come back once both of us c-caught something," Dewy Leaf was stuttering at this point, still utterly shocked that her own mother was dead, "but it only made this terrible in the end!"

Dappled Pelt remained silent; Fern Clump was her mother too, and Hawk Swoop knew that she would be grieving for her sometime soon. Shattered Ice looked at her with a blank face, and said, "Why are you quiet? Say something, flea-brain!"

"Hush, you!" Shaded Moss snapped. "Did you realize what  _just happened_?!"

"Uh, no?" the gray-and-white softpaw replied.

"Think twice before you say something next time." Shaded Moss concluded, and the five cats headed to Tall Shadow, who was next to Fern Clump's body, looking down at it miserably.

"Tall Shadow?" Hawk Swoop asked nervously. "Are you...okay?"

The black she-cat didn't utter a word. Dappled Pelt and Dewy Leaf let out mourning wails as they dashed over to their mother's corpse.

"...some cat...killed her...." the black she-cat muttered under her breath.

 "But who?" Shattered Ice asked. Hawk Swoop would normally retort, but in this situation, she felt no need to. Her half-sisters were grieving for their mother, and she felt that they deserved to have the time to mourn over their loss. Fern Clump seemed like a nice cat, but was always busy, and never seemed to take a break. Now she was dead, stuck in her last, eternal rest, and it was all because of a cat's desire to end her life. Who would do such a thing, though, seemed like a mystery to Hawk Swoop. 

The ginger softpaw padded closer to Fern Clump's corpse. The tortoiseshell's pelt was unkempt and messy, far different than the somewhat scruffy look she sported earlier. There was a large gash in her throat, with the remaining blood in her body casually seeping out if it like sap in a tree. Several claw marks battered one of her sides, with some blood around those as well. Her pale eyes were glazed, and half open, half shut. Hawk Swoop eventually came to a conclusion; Fern Clump was attacked hastily, and left to bleed to death by herself before Tall Shadow found her. She still couldn't figure out who would ever have the desire to kill Fern Clump, though. She was polite to everyone, and there was no cat she had bad relations with-

- _except for Blown Sand! Their mating was only a one-night thing, and when other cats found out, they were so angry!_ Hawk Swoop realized.  _Blown Sand killed Fern Clump!_

But would the others believe her? She didn't think so. All of the others thought that Blown Sand was gone for good, never to return, as Stoneteller's word was law. However, her word couldn't stop Blown Sand's will to attack other Tribe cats to his own satisfaction. 

When it was sunset, Dappled Pelt and Dewy Leaf finished their mourning, and slowly padded back to the other cats. Their eyes were hollowed with the grief and sorrow they felt for their mother's unexpected passing, and Hawk Swoop couldn't bear to see them like this. The two she-cats were normally so passionate, so full of life...now, they seemed to be as if they were nothing more than apathetic, lifeless shells of their former selves at the moment. 

Tall Shadow padded over as well, head hanging down in shame. Hawk Swoop felt that it wasn't her fault that she had to be the first to see Fern Clump die. She had no part in the death other than the discovery earlier, anyways. 

Soon, it was quiet, and none of the cats were speaking. Shattered Ice and Shaded Moss looked off into the distance. Dappled Pelt and Dewy Leaf were murmuring something to each other, and Tall Shadow stood toward the crag on the far side.

"Are we going to take Fern Clump's body back to the Tribe?" asked Hawk Swoop shyly. She didn't wish to interrupt everyone, especially after what happened.

"...fine with me." Shaded Moss agreed. "Just treat her body with respect."

Together, Dewy Leaf, Tall Shadow and Dappled Pelt began to drag Fern Clump's body back to the Tribe, while Shaded Moss, Hawk Swoop, and Shattered Ice made sure that the she-cat's body didn't pick up too much grime and filth as they returned. Everything seemed to get more bleak, with Fern Clump's death, Blown Sand's banishment, and the increasing coolness of their surroundings. What was going wrong?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it! The long awaited chapter 13 of HSC! The next one will hopefully arrive much sooner than this! So sorry for the wait, folks.


	16. Chapter 14

"Hawk Swoop, that's enough for today."

The ginger she-cat turned to her mentor, Dusk Shadow, with attentive eyes. It had been only half a moon since Fern Clump's death, but that did not distract Hawk Swoop from her training. If anything, she had became more determined to improve her skills, in order to better serve herself and her Tribe. She couldn't risk letting any others being killed without any notice, especially if this really was all of Blown Sand's doing. Thankfully, no cat had died recently, but it had began to snow a little. Not much, but enough for the cats to complain that it was cold, and for them to rather be in the cave for once.

Sometimes other cats gave Hawk Swoop odd glances, and she didn't know why. She was made a softpaw, yet others were commenting how she was made one too young. Another thing to blame Blown Sand on, Hawk Swoop thought. Not that it mattered to her, anyway. She could still prove herself to be an efficient worker even if she was a tad bit young compared to Shattered Ice.

"Do we  _have_ to go back now?" she whined. She wanted to finish their hunting practice of the day. She was slowly improving her skills, so that wasn't too much to ask, she thought.

"It's almost sunrise, and it's  _freezing_. Prey's going to be more alert from here on," Dusk Shadow pointed out. "It's best we get going."

Hawk Swoop let out a sigh of disappointment and followed Dusk Shadow's lead.

"You know, it's starting to get to the point where we might have to send out more hunting groups," the black she-cat said.

"Why's that?" Hawk Swoop inquired.

"I remember last cold season," Dusk Shadow began, "Not enough cats were sent out hunting at first."

"Didn't Stoneteller know better?"

"She underestimated how bad it would be. It ended up leaving us with little prey throughout most of it."

"Must have been really bad."

"That's an understatement! A bunch of our Tribemates died - mostly the ones who were there when they were still at the lake. Such a shame...."

"We have to do something about this!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Stoneteller was advising the other Tribe cats to go hunt more."

By the time the two went inside the cave, Stoneteller was going on a speech to most of the Tribe. Even Falling Feather and Jackdaw's Cry, the two youngest kits, were there, bouncing up and down by their mother.

"As you all know, the last cold season was particularly harsh to us," Stoneteller was midway through her lecture.

Several gasps came from the younger cats, who had no idea about what happened.

"But, we will not let this happen again. Starting today, we will have more groups of hunting cats sent out. There will be no objections. We must brace ourselves, and make sure that the weather will not overcome us," she went on. "Any questions?"

"Do we  _all_ have to go?" Quick Water squeaked, poking her head from where she was in the crowd.

"Anyone over six moons must out in at least one session..." Stoneteller looked over to where Dove's Wing was, and reluctantly added, "...yes, even the elders."

"But we've served our Tribe for so long!" Broken Feather growled. "Do we have to do this?"

"Do you want to  _die?_ " Stoneteller glared at the old black tom.

"On second thought...nevermind...." Broken Feather lowered his voice and turned his gaze away from her, clearly embarrassed.

"I can barely even  _see,_ let alone hear!" Dove's Wing whined. "This is ridiculous, Stoneteller!"

"It's the only way we can survive, Dove's Wing," she sighed. "Remember how it took both your mother and father?"

"Don't remind me of that!" she spat.

It seemed as if the Tribe's elders were so embittered by Stoneteller's suggestion that the elderly she-cat decided to call off the meeting.

"Just remember: Stone Song, Turtle Tail, Clear Sky, Twisted Branch, and Moon Shadow are all expected to report to me at sunhigh," she called to the others as the group broke up. "We will see if this ends up working out well for us or not. Understood?"

 _It seems so wrong, making elders do the work._ Hawk Swoop warily thought.  _But is Stoneteller right? Do we really need to make everyone contribute to survive?_

"Hawk Swoop!" Some cat was calling for her. "I need you right now!"

"What for?" she blurted out.

"To tell you something, duh!" It was clear that Quick Water was trying to talk to her.

"Okay!" Hastily, the ginger she-cat bounded over to where the curly-furred gray-and-white she-kit was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a certain person, I can now say that about six moons has passed so far. Makes Blown Sand's choice to make Hawk Swoop a softpaw at five moons pretty shitty.
> 
> Also, consider this to be my New Year's present, and yes, it is rather short, sadly. Here's to a hope for a better 2015! More chapters and adventures to come!!


	17. Chapter 15

Hawk Swoop headed over to where Quick Water was waiting. The she-kit was excitedly heaving herself up and down, as if she were about to jump out of the cave with excitement.  _I wonder how long_ she's  _been waiting._ the older softpaw thought.

"Oh, oh!" Quick Water shouted. "I want to do something with you!"

"Like...?" Somethings the younger cat could be a bit vague.

"Go outside, duh!" she replied, obviously annoyed.

"You'd  _think_ I'd know that?!"

"Sor- _ry_."

The two she-cats bickered for a moment before they came to a conclusion.

"I'd better ask Misty Water first," Hawk Swoop suggested. "I mean, haven't you  _seen_ her?"

"She's only doing it for my own good!" she protested.

"Whatever." The ginger she-cat then went inside the hollows, and into the nursery to seek out Quick Water's mother. After all these moons, her condition drastically improved, and she could actually get herself around. She wasn't completely over the deaths of her other kits, but she was slowly recovering. It would take time.

It didn't take long for Hawk Swoop to find the one den in the corner that Misty Water currently resided in. She went ahead and poked her head inside.

"Misty Water?" she called.

"What?" The old dark gray queen's call commanded for attention.

"Can me and Quick Water go outside?" she requested.

"Fine," she said. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Thank you!" Nimbly, Hawk swoop padded out of the nursery hollows, and back to Quick Water, who was now curled up in a fluffy bundle of fur.

"Did she say anything?" the kit squeaked.

Hawk Swoop then told the younger cat her mother's reply.

"Yay!" The kit happily bounced up and down. "It's so boring in here. There's nothing to do."

But then Hawk Swoop remembered how cold it was getting lately. She was uncertain if going out right now was a good idea. When she headed back inside with Dusk Shadow earlier, it was sunrise. Prey would be hiding around this time, and how it felt outside changed rapidly in just a few moments. When the others complained about how cold it was out there, it was no joke. Every time they could come in, it looked as if their pelts were frozen right off. Those were only adult cats, too. A kit like Quick Water would have no chance out there with temperatures like that.

"C'mon!" the younger cat urged. "It's not going to hurt you!"

"...fine...." Hawk Swoop gave in.

The two of them left that spot in the cave where Quick Water was waiting before, and headed for the entrance. First, they had to get through a small group of cats that were crowding near said opening. Hawk Swoop noticed Sharp hail, Shaded Moss, Quiet Rain, and Dove's Wing among them. Hawk Swoop was particularly amused of Dove's Wing's presence.  _But why would_ she  _be here? She's an elder - she doesn't have to work anymore!_ _  
_

Then, Hawk Swoop noticed that she was laying down, coughing.  _Something's wrong._ she thought.

"I'm so sorry...." muttered Quiet Rain, voice trembling.

"I'm fine!" Dove's Wing protested. "No need to worry -  _augh_!"

The old gray she-cat let out several wheezy coughs, and then lay down again.

"What's wrong with her?" Shaded Moss asked. "She was fine yesterday."

"We were about to go hunting when we heard her call for help," Sharp Hail explained. "Then we found her lying near the hollow of sharpclaws. She's very ill, it seems like. As for how she hid it...Dove's Wing is very good at keeping her troubles secret."

"I knew I should have given her that catmint!" Quiet Rain said.

"Well, we can isolate her from the others, at least," Shaded Moss suggested. "I'm pretty sure none of you would like to catch this chest infection, no?"

"Better ask Stoneteller," Sharp Hail said. "We can't do anything without her consent."

"Explain Blown Sand," Quiet Rain reminded her mate, "and what he  _did_."

"That was in the past," he excused. "We cannot change what's already been done."

"I know that. But you can't forget that Stoneteller couldn't prevent what happened, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe this is something she does need involvement in."

Suddenly the elderly white she-cat emerged from the passage leading to the Cave of Pointed Stones, and turned her heard towards the crowd.

"I take it that someone's ill?" she inquired.

"Dove's Wing." Shaded Moss answered, solemn. 

"What?!" Stoneteller hurried over to where the elder was lying on her back. Her eyes were shut tightly.

"Heh... they want me soon..." Dove's Wing muttered under her shallow breath.

"No! Not now!" Stoneteller feebly shouted.

"Just take me to... that empty den. In the passageway, where you treat the sick," she requested. "That's all."

Stoneteller sighed, and Hawk Swoop could understand; the elder traveled from the lake to the mountains, and was one of the last cats from there remaining. One of Stoneteller's longtime friends, too. She was even said to be the best hunter back in her prime. Now, to see her in such a feeble state... it felt wrong. Very wrong.

Many things had felt wrong recently, actually. Blown Sand's sudden change of behavior, the weird dreams she was getting... none of it made sense! Good ancestors, if only someone told her what to do, then it'd be so much easier! But, for now, Hawk Swoop would have to contend with her troubles herself. Even if it meant going through the worst to reach the light at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final, ''lost'' chapter of this story is now published. This concludes this segment of HSC, and now the next story can be put into motion! I hope you liked this one!


End file.
